The band of palette-wielding buddies in Montmartre

I really enjoyed this book despite initially having some worries. At first it was behaving like a historical novel, because Roe inserted dialogue that seemed to be invented. How do we know exactly what Picasso said to Fernande on a certain day? That concern faded, however, as the book became better documented without being too dry or scholarly. I enjoyed reading about the variety of interesting & strong personalities who were involved in the development of modern art around Paris.

However, I found the ancillary characters such as Modigliani, Fernande, Gertrude Stein, Alice Toklas, Max Jacob, Rousseau, Marie Laurencin, Poiret, Derain, Vollard, Braque, Sergei Shchukin & Co. actually more interesting and compelling than Picasso or Matisse. Picasso: wonderfully talented, bon vivant but also self-centered and misogynistic. Matisse: 11 years older than Picasso, had a wife and kids so he couldn’t hang out until all hours like Picasso and his friends.

But those are my prejudices. All around the book was very good & enjoyable. It increased my rudimentary knowledge of modern art as well as my always-fervent desire to visit and explore Paris. The sections on Spain and southern France (Collioure especially) were very evocative. And I loved the descriptions of the meeting places such as the Moulin de la Galette and Lapin Agile. As much as I’m not too fond of Picasso and his behavior, he sounds like a fun guy, leader of the “bande” of buddies (largely his homies from Spain) and I’d love to be teleported, Midnight-in-Paris-style, to some of those late-night gatherings in the bars, cafes and dance halls of Montmarte!