Late Picasso : paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, 1953-1972.

This catalog of an exhibition of Picasso's late work held at the Musee National d'Art Moderne (Paris) and the Tate Gallery (London) builds on the pioneering exhibition catalogs by Christian Geelhaar (Pablo Picasso: Das Spatwerk: themen 1964-1972, 1981) and Gert Schiff (Picasso: The Last Years, 1963-1973, 1984), which established the importance of this last phase of Picasso's oeuvre. Short essays by Michel Leiris and David Sylvester, and more substantial ones by John Richardson, Marie-Laure Bernadac, and Brigitte Baer add to this scholarly literature, considering "l'epoque Jacqueline" largely in terms of biography and, in Richardson's essay, historical context. Sylvester's and Richardson's essays are especially rich in suggestions for interpretation; Bernadac's essay is valuable for its step-by-step development of major works such as the variations on Las Meninas, After Velasquez of 1957 (though she occasionally adopts a rather adoring and uncritical tone); and Baer fruitfully considers the role of theater in Picasso's late graphic work. With 104 excellent color plates, 239 black-and-white illustrations, an exhibition checklist, illustrated biography, bibliography, and list of exhibitions, this beautifully produced catalog is very useful from several viewpoints. Recommended. P. Leighten University of Delaware