"I am writing to you from the terrace, where I have just had my breakfast in cahoots with the sea. It is the paradise you told me of: the people are delightful, the sun is warm. Yesterday afternoon, when I got here, I could have sunbathed." - Raymond Radiguet to Jean Hugo, February 1920 The French Riviera was the centre of creativity during the 1920s and early '30s. Artists and writers from the far reaches of the world gathered to fashion a new way of life - among them Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Gerald and Sara Murphy, Picasso, Picabia, Stravinsky, Cocteau, Diaghilev, and Anna de Noailles. A photobiography of this carefree era, The French Riviera of the 1920s revitalises the now-legendary tale of these mythic personalities caught between a desire for creation, the quest for happiness, and the looming darkness of World War II. With extraordinary images taken from personal archives, these pages depict firsthand the lifestyles and artwork of some of the most influential artists of the 20th century. AUTHOR: Xavier Girard is an art historian and critic, essayist, and professor of art history. A Chevalier of Arts and Letters, he has also directed and curated numerous artistic events. His previously published books with Assouline include The Mediterranean: From Homer to Picasso (2001); Bauhaus (2003); and Paris in the 1920s with Kiki de Montparnasse (2012). He also published L'Oursin and Trois hommes dans un jardin with Andre Dimanche. Since 2008, he has also dedicated himself to sculpture and photography. 200 illustrations Hardcover in a luxury slipcase
