Looking at Braque

Georges Braque (1882-1963) is, of course, widely acclaimed as one of the great painters of the twentieth century; indeed, he has been heralded by some as one of the greatest French artists of all time. Yet while his name is well established in the pantheon of modern artists, our actual acquaintance with and knowledge of his work, at least in this country, has been somewhat vague and incomplete. Certainly he has been less studied, and his art far less visible, than his more famous colleague Picasso, whose centenary year was celebrated in 1980 with the mammoth exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art. That no retrospective was organized in 1982, Braque’s centenary year, is another indication that in recent years Braque has not commanded much attention here.

Rather, two relatively small and specialized exhibitions in Washington celebrated the occasion. At the National Gallery of Art, Braque: The Papiers Collés...