Fred R. Kline, art historian and author of "Leonardo's Holy Child"

Air Dates: May 21-23, 2016

This week’s guest on REPORT FROM SANTA FE is Fred R. Kline, art historian and author of "Leonardo's Holy Child - The Discovery of a Leonardo Da Vinci Masterpiece: A Connoisseur's Search for Lost Art in America."

Kline is a well-known art historian, dealer, and self-avowed “art explorer,” who has made a career of scouring antique shops, estate sales, and auctions looking for unusual, and often mis-identified works of art. Sixteen years ago Kline discovered Leonardo da Vinci's “Holy Child,” his model drawing for the infant Jesus and the infant St. John.

“Holy Child” is the first authenticated drawing by Da Vinci to have surfaced in over 100 years. Kline reveals the steps toward this monumental discovery and illuminates the process of how works attributed to Old Masters are verified. Kline enthusiastically conveys his love of connoisseurship and of "art exploring"—combing through thrift stores, flea markets, antique shops in search of lost treasurers.

Earlier discoveries by Kline include: two of the rarest and earliest New World sculptures from Colonial Mexico, and lost paintings by Vermeer, Jan Brueghel the Elder, and George Caleb Bingham.

The collector's investigations highlight the misleading and seemingly manipulative behavior of auction houses and museum experts. Many of the gems he has found are now in major museum collections such as the Frick, the Getty, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Kline's personal narrative provides a look into the world of lost art and those who search for it.