Georges Rouault

In this incisive exhibition catalogue of the artwork of the French Fauvist and Expressionist Georges Rouault (1871-1958), paintings of judges, clowns and whores, as well as acrobats, soldiers and singers, present the artist as thoroughly Modern. Made between the early 1900s and the late 1930s, when Rouault was at the height of his creative powers, these paintings showcase the artist's remarkable range, from jewel-toned small watercolors to larger oils on canvas; from gentle, thin washes to thickly encrusted, muscular layers of paint. Many of the paintings collected here belong to the permanent collections of major international museums and have never been reproduced before in color in an American publication. Because Rouault is said to have destroyed several hundred works at the end of his life, each of the oils and works on paper collected here is particularly special, becoming even more rare when viewed as an ensemble. Besides large-scale plates of the work, this volume includes an introduction by David Nash, a biography of the artist, a checklist and several intimate photographs of the artist.