First lines of Hugh Eakin's "Picasso's War"

 "One afternoon shortly after his forty-first birthday, John Quinn ascended to the top of an undistinguished five-story building on Fifth Avenue. He had come to see the work of an artist who had never been shown in the United States before."

- Hugh Eakin, Picasso's War 

Compelling story of the planning and energy that went into breaking modern art into America. Insightful stories about modern artists, their dealers, and the collectors (well, really just one: John Quinn) that strove to bring the art of Picasso, Braque, et al to the United States. Or, to be more precise, to have this modern art understood by the American public rather than denounced as degenerate. It's hard to imagine pictures arising such passions these days - until you reflect upon the recent trend towards book banning and other censorship and realize that this conservative, puritanical streak has always been part of American society. And, as such, the efforts of Quinn and others are sorely needed to help bring modern ideas and forms into the discussion.