Art historian Kahn (St. Lawrence U.) treats Laurencin (1883-1956) as a significant modernist artist from The School of Paris and explores the sexual politics informing her relationships, including the one with Picasso, whom she painted. Despite limited access to her censored papers, the author reads Laurencin's Amazon-themed works as expressions of struggles with independence and a lesbian identity. Includes color plates of her paintings, and b&w illustrations of art by her and such peers as Cassatt and Valadon. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)