From the Back Cover
This book is extraordinary in revealing not only so much
about Matisse that was previously unknown and unexpected, but
also so much of real importance to an understanding of him
and his art; it is brilliant in the clarity and the
compactness of its eminently readable prose, and in the
sharpness of the insights that appear on page after page. .
.Truly indispensable for anyone interested in Matisse, or in
the milieu in which he lived and worked, or in the forces
that shaped the art of this century--with a human dimension
that is vividly drawn, utterly compelling, and profoundly
moving.