Modernists - their fascinating lives

When a young Pablo Picasso first arrived in Paris in 1900, the most progressive young artists lived and worked in the bohemian quarter of Montmartre, on a hill beneath old windmills. Over the next decade, among the studios, salons, cafés, dance halls and galleries of Montmartre, the young Spaniard joined figures such as Henri Matisse, André Derain, Maurice de Vlaminck, Georges Braque and many others to completely transform the contemporary art world.
Sue Roe masterfully combines meticulous historical research with compelling narrative to create a unique portrait of the men and women who fundamentally influenced the development of painting, sculpture, dance, music, literature and fashion. She describes the origins of movements such as Fauvism, Cubism and Futurism, and reveals the stories behind the immortal works of Picasso and Matisse. She shows how daily life in Montmartre – where artists met acrobats, dancers, prostitutes and clowns – created a fertile ground for artistic experimentation and gave rise to friendships and rivalries from which some of the most important works of the 20th century emerged.
The book The Cubists and Their Circle offers a fascinating look at an exceptional group of artists on the cusp of fame and immortality, bringing to life one of the key periods in the history of modern art. The first part, entitled The Impressionists: A Private Life, has already been published by the publishing house, and the author will also be releasing the novel In Montparnasse: The Surrealists and Me, which will take the reader into the world of artists like Duchamp and Dalí, concluding the three-part series.
Published in a translation by Alžběta Komrsková.