毕加索、贝克曼、威廉库宁作品中对女性角色的描绘，通常会让人联想到男子气概和厌女症。当然，这些艺术家对女性的描绘并非如此简单就可解读出其中深意，事实上，每个作品都有细微的差别。本书探讨艺术家们对女性的描绘，而不仅仅是男性对女性的渴望和欲望的投影。把它们视为社会和政治冲突、动荡的放映。

Images of Women—Women in Images

Regardless of the clichés associated with Pablo Picasso (1881–1973), Max Beckmann (1884–1950), and Willem de Kooning (1904–1997) in the “public” private sphere, their exploration of the theme “woman” go far beyond one-sided definitions. Their portrayals of women are highly nuanced; they have a significance of their own and time and again become sensitive reflections of social and political problems and upheavals. They are not simply surfaces upon which are projected male longings and desires, but catalysts for a confrontation with the artist’s own life and history (Picasso), while in Beckmann’s work they are completely free, independent counter-images. De Kooning sees them as a separate force within which culminate opportunities for artistic expression. Contributions by art historians, authors, sociologists, and artists approach the theme from a variety of perspectives.