The Wine Of Genius: A Life Of Maurice Utrillo
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Wear and tear with damage
Pages: Tanning and foxing
Markings: Previous owner
Born into the bohemian heart of Montmartre at the turn of the twentieth century, Maurice Utrillo remains one of art history's most paradoxical figures — a self-taught master whose trembling brushstrokes captured the soul of Parisian streets while his own life spiralled through alcoholism, institutionalisation, and fleeting moments of transcendent brilliance. The Wine of Genius chronicles the turbulent biography of this celebrated French painter, tracing his extraordinary journey from a troubled, illegitimate childhood — raised by the fiercely independent artist Suzanne Valadon — to his unlikely ascent as one of the most collected painters of the early twentieth century. Robert Coughlan presents a vivid portrait of an artist perpetually at war with himself, set against the intoxicating backdrop of a Paris teeming with creative revolution. Coughlan's narrative style is both journalistic and deeply humane, drawing on rich biographical detail to illuminate the complex psychological landscape that both tormented and fuelled Utrillo's art. The book situates its subject within the broader cultural ferment of the Belle Époque and interwar Paris, weaving together the lives of artists, critics, and patrons who shaped and were shaped by his singular vision. The Wine of Genius raises an enduring question that haunts every page: can a life of such profound suffering truly be the price of genius, or is that a story we tell ourselves to make beauty bearable?
Author: Robert Coughlan
Format: Hardback
Published: 1952, Victor Gollancz Ltd
Genre: Biography
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Wear and tear with damage
Pages: Tanning and foxing
Markings: Previous owner
Born into the bohemian heart of Montmartre at the turn of the twentieth century, Maurice Utrillo remains one of art history's most paradoxical figures — a self-taught master whose trembling brushstrokes captured the soul of Parisian streets while his own life spiralled through alcoholism, institutionalisation, and fleeting moments of transcendent brilliance. The Wine of Genius chronicles the turbulent biography of this celebrated French painter, tracing his extraordinary journey from a troubled, illegitimate childhood — raised by the fiercely independent artist Suzanne Valadon — to his unlikely ascent as one of the most collected painters of the early twentieth century. Robert Coughlan presents a vivid portrait of an artist perpetually at war with himself, set against the intoxicating backdrop of a Paris teeming with creative revolution. Coughlan's narrative style is both journalistic and deeply humane, drawing on rich biographical detail to illuminate the complex psychological landscape that both tormented and fuelled Utrillo's art. The book situates its subject within the broader cultural ferment of the Belle Époque and interwar Paris, weaving together the lives of artists, critics, and patrons who shaped and were shaped by his singular vision. The Wine of Genius raises an enduring question that haunts every page: can a life of such profound suffering truly be the price of genius, or is that a story we tell ourselves to make beauty bearable?