"There are two things in the painter: the eye and the mind. Each of them should aid the other." — Paul Cézanne
A Novel by David Mardirosian · Inspired by True Events
A novel of moral consequence, identity, and the cost of a single decision
In 1978, seven stolen paintings were hidden above a Boston lawyer's office.
He found them. He kept them.
The next twenty-three years were the price.
The Story
A Boston attorney discovers seven stolen masterpieces — and the decision he makes in the dark will cost him everything he spent a lifetime building.
Inspired by True Events
Robert "Bob" Mardirosian was one of the finest criminal defense attorneys in Massachusetts. He was brilliant, relentless, and better than the decision he made. That decision — made in the dark, alone — took decades to fully unravel.
Based on true events. Inspired by a father's story.
"Cézanne is my one and only master.
He was like the father of us all." — Pablo Picasso
"There are two things in the painter: the eye and the mind. Each of them should aid the other." — Paul Cézanne
About the Book
Chasing Cézanne is the story of Robert M. Mardirosian — Boston criminal defense attorney, painter, sculptor — who discovered seven stolen masterpieces hidden above his law office and made the choice that would define the rest of his life.
Rooted in one of the largest art thefts from a private residence in Massachusetts history, the novel follows a man who lived entirely between contradictions: a rigorous defender of the law and keeper of its most spectacular violation; a second-generation Armenian-American who rose from Watertown to the highest courtrooms in the country; an artist who signed his canvases with a single name — Romard — and whose own work hung beside paintings he could never show anyone.
The events are real. The theft happened. The paintings were found. What drove a man of discipline, intelligence, and integrity to keep them — and what it cost him — is the story this novel tells.
Written by his son, David Mardirosian, Chasing Cézanne is the book he spent a lifetime piecing together. Part literary novel, part memoir, entirely earned.
Read the Opening
A stolen Cézanne. A phone call from East Hampton. Two thieves in a '71 Chevy winding through the Berkshires at dusk.
The novel begins here.
Themes
Robert M. Mardirosian — attorney, artist, father
The Man Behind the Story
April 25, 1934 – April 1, 2022. Born in Watertown, Massachusetts, to Armenian immigrant parents. Criminal defense attorney. Sculptor and painter who signed his work Romard. A man of extraordinary contradictions.
He defended over 2,000 clients. He loved art with a ferocity that surpassed the law. And for years, he kept a secret that only his son — and now you — will know.
His Full StoryStay Connected
Publication updates, behind-the-scenes research, and exclusive excerpts — delivered to your inbox.
Thank you — you're on the list. ✦
No spam. Unsubscribe at any time.
