"Art+Auction" Editors' Picks for 2007

In the case of I Am a Beautiful Monster: Poetry, Prose, and Provocation (MIT Press; $39.95), the first definitive translation of the writings of Francis Picabia, by Marc Lowenthal, you can indeed judge a book by its cover. That is, you can judge it by its rather unwieldy title, emblazoned on the cover in blaring type, which serves as an apt description of the author. Picabia (1879–1953)—high lifer and Dadaist prankster—was nothing if not a provocateur. And what of the texts? Let’s just say you’re in for a wild ride. Here’s Picabia wearing his art market–analyst hat in his 1920 poem “Dada Cannibal Manifesto”: “Hiss, yell, smash my face in, and then, and then? I will tell you again that you are all suckers. In three months my friends and I will be selling you our paintings for several francs.”
—SARAH DOUGLAS, STAFF WRITER