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Rating: 
Summary: A brilliant chronicle of an astonishing exhibition!
Review: "Picasso and the War Years" surveys his art during his years of isolation in Occupied Paris, as well as the three years leading up to the cataclysm. Although several exhibitions have been held on this same subject in Europe, this is the first such survey of Picasso's wartime production to take place in the United States. A series of outstanding essays by several prominent critics explore the complex political, social, and personal circumstances which inspired these still-challenging paintings, and the initial reactions to them. A warning: this book is not for everyone. If you are disturbed by violent and harsh art, forget it. These images still retain their power to shock, disorient, disgust and sadden, even if sixty years have gone by since their creation. Yet all the pictures possess a deep geometric structure, formal balance, and intense affect which engraves them on the viewer's mind. The sorrowful, neurotic, and unforgettable face of Dora Maar, Picasso's mistress and model during these tragic years, is transformed in these paintings into a symbol of a world gone mad. This is definitely one of the most significant art books produced this year.
Rating: 
Summary: An Amazing Catalog of an Amazing Exhibit
Review: I saw this exhibit when it came to San Francisco's Palace of the Legion of Honor, and saw fit to buy the catalog two years later, it madde such an impact.This is not a collection of Picasso's best or most famous work. Rather it collects unknown and semi-distinguished pieces all produced during the political upheaval of WWII. As such it tells the story of the occcupation of France through the perceptions of one artist who survived it, and transformed the experience for the world to see through his art. While it gathers some curiosities, like developmental sketchs for the classic Guernica, the real star of this exhibit are lesser known classics like Night Fishing at Antibes. Don't buy this for a general introduction to Picasso's art. Think of it as a kind of emotional history in pictures.
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