The Ultimate Picasso

Of all the books on the man many consider the greatest genius of twentieth-century art, this sumptuous work - now available as a compact, affordable paperback - stands out as truly the "ultimate" Picasso. Not only does it cover in one volume all the periods of Picasso´s long, incredibly versatile career - with exquisite reproductions of nearly every significant work he ever created - but the scholarship is also impeccable: each of the three authors is a leading authority on a particular period of Picasso´s artistic evolution. Brigitte Leal covers Picasso´s formative years from 1881 through 1916, a period that includes his invention of Cubism with Georges Braque. Christine Piot explores the astonishingly fertile period from 1917 through 1952. Marie-Laure Bernadac discusses the unabashed vigor of Picasso´s later years, from 1953 until his death in 1973. Over 1200 magnificent reproductions, 798 in full color, illustrate Picasso´s breathtaking range of artistic expression, including paintings, drawings, lithographs, ceramics, and sculpture.