Kiki's Paris: Artists and Lovers 1900-1930

A portrait of Montparnasse in the first decades of the century, this attractive book of some 650 black-and-white photos uses, as a focal point, the artist, artist's model, singer, dancer and actress Kiki (born Alice Ernestine Prin). Proclaimed ``Queen of Montparnasse'' in 1929 by the newspaper Paris-Montparnasse , she was outrageous, charming, beautiful, talented--and so is the Paris that emerges. We see the cafes--Dome, Rotonde, Coupole, etc.--where notable artists Matisse, Modigliani, Picasso, Man Ray, Stein, Leger, Cocteau, Brancusi, Soutine and hundreds of others hung out, the studios in which they worked, the parties they went to, the vacations they took and the galleries where they exhibited. The text, deliberately understated, takes a back seat to the photos, offering introduction, explanation and anecdote. Kluver, president of Experiments in Art and Technology, and Martin, a staff member at the the same foundation, have assembled a lavish, information-packed look at the people and places of an important, exciting era in art history. (June)