Depicting characters like the eponymous young sculptor in Roderick Hudson and spaces like the crowded galleries in The Wings of the Dove, Henry James's iconic novels reflect the significance of the visual culture of his society. In this book, novelist and critic Colm Toibin joins art historian Marc Simpson and Declan Kiely of The Morgan Library & Museum to reveal how essential the language and imagery of the arts--and friendships with artists--were to James's writing.

The authors consider the paintings, photographs, drawings, and sculpture produced by artists in...