In the history of 20th-century figurative art, the Italian painter Giorgio Morandi stands out as an individual artist, capturing the simple beauty of light on forms through deft brushwork and subtle coloration. This volume brings together some 110 of his most important works, executed in a variety of techniques. Morandi stood aloof from the intellectual turmoil and aesthetic experiments of the 20th century while other artists moved to Paris, Morandi rarely left his native Bologna. For his needs, a limited number of simple, everyday objects were sufficient. His initial fascination for Impressionism, Cezanne's still lifes and landscapes and Cubism, melted into a poetic world of his own. By concentrating on the same objects and subtly modifying the compositions and soft colours, he created delicate pictures and an abstract, almost dematerialised figurativeness. This volume encompasses his work, three essays and a biography of the artist.