An American in Paris : Un Americain a Paris

This a big, splashy, satisfying book. A wonderful production from Abrams: big, 4.5 pounds, cloth over hardback boards with a sewn binding. 154 pp. Heads up: there are editions in French and editions in English!

Nietzsche once said, "As an artist a man has no home in Europe save in Paris." An early daguerreotype, "Paris Boulevard" by L. J. M. Daguerre himself offers a view of Paris down to the smallest detail. Toulouse-Lautrec, who was ostracized and became a habitue of Parisian night life, presented a cast of entertainers in cafes and music halls. Pissarro's view was of a crowded square; Renoir saw Paris on a Sunday afternoon in a popular dance hall; and then contemporary artist LeRoy Neiman gave us his City of Light in a gloriously colorful collection. This folio-size visual feast holds 128 full-color illustrations, so boldly and broadly drawn that Paris springs to vibrant life. Initially seeing France some 60 years ago, Neiman was a GI with the American First Army during the Liberation of Paris. In the 60s he maintained a studio there and sketched prodigiously. Through the eyes of this contemporary Impressionist not only do we see the exultation of the Liberation and the ecstatic throngs that greeted the Americans, but we visit cafes, stroll boulevards, admire the city's haute couture, and meet some of the celebrities who live there or visit. Few places have inspired the plethora of words, music and art that the citadel of the Seine has. "An American In Paris" is a rich portrait of that incomparable city for Francophiles and all admirers of Neiman's work. - Gail Cooke