I had been coveting the monumental two-volume review of Freud’s work ever since Phaidon published it in 2018, but with a price tag of $500 I was unlikely to ever give in to the craving.  I must have dropped a few heavy hints along the way because these beautiful books showed up on my birthday this month.  I can’t imagine a more perfect gift.  With more than 600 pages and nearly 500 illustrations, this is a wonderful piece of publishing and an entirely fitting tribute to one of the greatest painters who ever lived.

The two volumes are arranged chronologically and begin with an insightful essay by Martin Gayford (who previously wrote a captivating account of sitting for a portrait by Freud).  The illustrations are simply sumptuous.  These are books to pore over, to return to time and time again, and to savor.