Francis Picabia

Documenting the great, late, neglected work of a modernist master

The French avant-garde painter Francis Picabia (1879–1953) was one of the great innovators of 20th-century modernism, with a career defined by his restless, visionary approach. In 1945 he settled permanently in Paris and in his final years returned to abstract painting. This book delves into Picabia’s practice between the years 1945 and 1953―an incredibly rich yet largely unknown period during which Picabia created paintings unlike anything he had produced before. Essays by art historian Arnauld Pierre and scholar Candace Clements shed new light on the hidden signs and symbols buried in his abstractions, the new painting techniques he employed, and the mysterious and fantastical reappearance of the "dot" in his work. Eternal Beginning is an essential resource, marking the first in-depth exploration of a crucial period in Picabia’s practice.