The catalogue for this international exhibition features work from ten contemporary French artists working in a variety of mediums. The title essay, written by Lisa Dennison, traces the developments in the French art world post-World War II, and the catalogue includes individualized essays by Dennison that contextualize the work of each artist featured. In addition, the ten artists are represented by multiple images of their work in both black and white and color, biographical information, selected past exhibitions, and a bibliography.

France's isolation from the international scene is not a recent phenomenon in the history of postwar art. After peace was restored in Europe, it was expected that Paris would remain the preeminent international art center and the French masters such as Picasso, Braque, Matisse and Léger would continue to influence succeeding generations of artists worldwide. Yet many of the younger School of Paris artists remained rooted in tradition while their counterparts in the burgeoning New York School were revolutionizing painting. Indeed, against the strength of the innovations of the Abstract expressionists, French artists could no longer sustain Paris as the art capital of the Western world.