George Tooker first came to prominence for imaginative visions that expressed the uncertainity of the Cold War era. Over the past sixty years, using his own particular blend of figuration and abstraction, he has continued to create radiantly illuminated yet disquieting images. Imbued with moral, spiritual, and sensual power, they quietly demonstrate his passion for issues of social equality, and have garnered admiration from critics and peers alike for their acuity and virtuoso technique.<BR>This book, the first representative overview of Tooker's work for thirty years, provides a much-deserved and comprehensive examination of the scope of his art. In essays comprising new research and offering fresh insights, it explores his passion for composition, his spirituality and his exploration of identity. Featuring superb reproductions of more than eighty of the artist's timeless images, the book also enables readers to see the unexpected ways in which Tooker's work echoes what has been considered avant garde in American art and to appreciate the depth of his resonant, prescient imagery. A major new study of one of America's most influential modern painters, George Tooker celebrates the lifetime achievement of an artist whose work subtly challenges conventinal prejudices and captures the essential mystery at the heart of the human experience.