cover image Joaqun Sorolla

Joaqun Sorolla

Jose Luis Diez, Javier Baron, . . Thames & Hudson, $95 (534pp) ISBN 978-0-500-97693-7

Valencian painter Joaquín Sorolla (1863–1923) was perhaps second only to Manet as an object of both intense admiration and vituperative attack, argues the final essay in this visually dazzling and critically astute Prado exhibition catalogue. The book opens with an extensive biographical essay convincingly arguing that the commercial success of Sorolla's beach scenes has overshadowed his masterful portraits and historical, religious and social paintings. This exemplary catalogue, edited by two Prado curators, and including works from major European and American collections, is a comprehensive critical introduction to Sorolla's magnificently varied oeuvre. 300 color illus. (Sept.)