Wayne Thiebaud has long been recognized as one of America’s most prominent modern artists. Probably best known for his straightforward, deadpan, still-life paintings of the 1960s, Thiebaud is identified by his brilliant palette, his luscious handling of paint, and the intensity of light that lends a particularly “California” flavor to his images. In addition to his well-known paintings of pies and cakes, contents of delicatessen counters, and other consumer goods, Thiebaud has also painted figure studies, cityscapes with vertiginous plunges that restructure space and perspective, and dramatically abstracted landscapes.

Originally published on the occasion of the artist’s eightieth birthday, this retrospective book brings together 120 of Thiebaud’s most important paintings, watercolors, and pastels. Essays by Steven A. Nash and Adam Gopnik trace the course of his career from the 1950s, when he first began to emerge as a significant national artist.

Steven A. Nash’s work on modern artists includes books on Naum Gabo, Ben Nicholson, and Picasso. Adam Gopnik has written about art and life for The New Yorker since 1986 and is the author of Paris to the Moon.