The Vanishing Man: In Pursuit of Velazquez

Laura Cumming’s book explores disappearance as both theme and method, weaving art history with personal memoir. Beginning with the theft of a Vermeer painting, Cumming reflects on loss, secrecy, and the things that slip from view — including her own family history. Her prose is luminous and meditative, attentive to visual detail and emotional undercurrents. The book resists neat conclusions, instead lingering on uncertainty and absence. It is a subtle, beautifully crafted exploration of what it means to look — and to lose.