One of the greatest--and most popular--of the Impressionists, Mary Cassatt created some of her most inventive and appealing images in the print medium. Documenting a startling new discovery, this exquisitely produced book unveils 204 major prints and drawings that have been sequestered in a private collection for nearly half a century.

Sometime before 1914, as Cassatt neared the end of her career, she was coaxed into selling her "studio collection"--etchings, monotypes, color aquatints, and drawings that she had kept for sentimental or archival purposes--to the dealer Ambroise Vollard. He added a few pieces to the collection from other notable Cassatt fans, including her friend Edgar Degas. When World War I disrupted the art market, Vollard tucked this remarkable collection away and never exhibited it before his death on the eve of World War II. The entire group was acquired by a French collector, who showed only a few works to friends and selected members of the art community.

Many of the prints, which are in pristine condition, are previously unknown variants of Cassatt's work; others have never before been seen in any version. Because Cassatt's output as a printmaker was quite small and because her color prints are praised for being among her most radically innovative works, this discovery is an extraordinary event in an art world where demand for Cassatt's art seems insatiable.

The catalogue section of the book documents in exacting detail and in superb illustrations the 41 color prints, 127 black-and-white prints, and 36 drawings that constitute what is now known as the studio collection. Essays by leading experts tell the story of this rare collection and explore Cassatt'svirtuosity as a printmaker. The result is an important and unusually beautiful publication that will intensify interest in this much-loved artist and stimulate a new appreciation of her significant contributions to modern printmaking.