Paul Cezanne's famous paintings of peasant card players and pipe smokers have long been considered to be among his most iconic and powerful works. They were described by one of Cezanne's early biographers as being "equal to the most beautiful works of art in the world". This is the first publication dedicated to Cezanne's Card Players and their exquisite preparatory drawings and oil studies. In these powerful works the artist conveys the gravitas and stocism of his peasant sitters, for whom he felt great admiration. As he told one visitor to his studio, "I love above all else the appearance of people who have grown old without breaking with old customs". This publication accompanies the exhibition Cezanne's Card Players, organished by The Courtauld Gallery, London, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. --Book Jacket.