Picasso's War
How Modern Art Came to America
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Picasso's War
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Narrated by:
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Mack Sanderson
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Written by:
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Hugh Eakin
About this listen
A riveting story of how dueling ambitions and the power of prodigy made America the cultural center of the world—and Picasso the most famous artist alive—in the shadow of World War II
“[Eakin] has mastered this material. . . . The book soars.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Vanity Fair, The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker
In January 1939, Pablo Picasso was renowned in Europe but disdained by many in the United States. One year later, Americans across the country were clamoring to see his art. How did the controversial leader of the Paris avant-garde break through to the heart of American culture?
The answer begins a generation earlier, when a renegade Irish American lawyer named John Quinn set out to build the greatest collection of Picassos in existence. His dream of a museum to house them died with him, until it was rediscovered by Alfred H. Barr, Jr., a cultural visionary who, at the age of twenty-seven, became the director of New York’s new Museum of Modern Art.
Barr and Quinn’s shared goal would be thwarted in the years to come—by popular hostility, by the Depression, by Parisian intrigues, and by Picasso himself. It would take Hitler’s campaign against Jews and modern art, and Barr’s fraught alliance with Paul Rosenberg, Picasso’s persecuted dealer, to get Picasso’s most important paintings out of Europe. Mounted in the shadow of war, the groundbreaking exhibition Picasso: Forty Years of His Art would launch Picasso in America, define MoMA as we know it, and shift the focus of the art world from Paris to New York.
Picasso’s War is the never-before-told story about how a single exhibition, a decade in the making, irrevocably changed American taste, and in doing so saved dozens of the twentieth century’s most enduring artworks from the Nazis. Through a deft combination of new scholarship and vivid storytelling, Hugh Eakin shows how two men and their obsession with Picasso changed the art world forever.
©2022 Hugh Eakin (P)2022 Random House AudioYou may also enjoy...
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What the critics say
“[Eakin] has mastered this material, read a mountain of sources and synthesized them skillfully, and he manages to braid aesthetics with history with personal details. . . . The book soars. His achievement is keeping the complex plotline moving, while offering sharp insights and astute judgments.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
“Eakin spins neglected yarns of art history into pure gold in this clear, sensitive, and deftly written narrative.”—Vanity Fair
“Admirable and enjoyable . . .The story in Picasso’s War is well told, with an impressive level of biographical detail.”—The New Yorker
What listeners say about Picasso's War
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Roberta W
- 2024-06-23
Ten stars!
Absolutely FANTASTIC! I can’t say enough about how good this book was. I am a huge Picasso fan, and have read extensively on him and his art, and there was still so much here that was new to me. What really made it work was the context ~ how Picasso’s work and influence made it to North America ~ as it anchored the story and gave relevance to the facts. Exceptionally well researched and written by an author that understands modern art and history. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2024-06-18
Absolutely Gripping
I cannot remember any other book which has gripped my heart and mind so completely. I did not expect such an intense true story, with every fascinating detail read out to me every day by the wonderful narrator. How rare it is to have all the words in every language pronounced perfectly and with all the right emphasis and depth of meaning. The research on this book was impeccable, and the people, places, and art so vividly explained, I felt I was there watching it happen. Each painting perfectly described, each person fully characterized. When I knew the ending was near, I dreaded it because it was my favourite habit to engage in it every day. This book makes one revel in hindsight… how ahead of his time Quinn was, and how people needed to go through devastating experiences before understanding and appreciating what was right before their eyes. Fate played out it’s plans in each and every case, and we sit here in it’s future shaking our heads at what was passed, what was said, what was experienced in those heavy and misunderstanding times. I’ve come to wonder about human nature and what will be in our future too. This book is a milestone. If you care about art, it’s a MUST!
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