The publication of this book, desired and designed by Giulio Paolini, coincides in a certain way with his exiting the scene. Mere witness of an oeuvre that precedes and exceeds him, the artist chooses once more to remain on the fringes of the artwork's stage, in an endless wait for beauty to appear. The thought of one of Italy's leading actors on the twentieth-century art scene is revealed by over one hundred plates created exclusively for this book, and narrated by his intimate reflections and critical essays.