As he magnificently combines meticulous scholarship with irresistible narrative appeal, Richardson draws on his close friendship with Picasso, his own diaries, the collaboration of Picasso's widow Jacqueline, and unprecedented access to Picasso's studio and papers to arrive at a profound understanding of the artist and his work.

“A powerhouse of a book . . . Not only a reconsideration of Picasso but also a reckoning on the art and culture of the century in which he played so essential a role . . . Richardson is juggling so many people and themes and events with such aplomb that readers may not quite realize what literary pyrotechnics are involved.”—Jed Perl, The New York Times Book Review

“One of the great intellectual undertakings of our time has been Richardson’s multi-volume biography of Picasso . . . Richardson leads us through the grand story with energy, wit, and authority.”—–Richard Lacayo, Time

“No one is better qualified than Richardson to explore the extraordinary life of Picasso.”—Michael Kammen, The Boston Globe

“A biography so ensnaring in its details and provocative in its interpretation . . .”—Donna Seaman, Booklist

Michiko Kakutani hails “John Richardson’s consummate knowledge of Picasso’s work.”—The New York Times

“Superb scholarship [combined] with a delicious style and unfailing wit.”—Meryle Secrest, The Wall Street Journal

 
WINNER 1991 - Whitbread Book of the Year

 
John Richardson is the author of a memoir, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice; an essay collection, Sacred Monsters, Sacred Masters; and books on Manet and Braque. He has written for The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair. He was instrumental in setting up Christie’s in the United States. In 1993 he was made a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy. In 1995–96 he served as the Slade Professor of Fine Art at Oxford University. He divides his time between Connecticut and New York City.