Ten Unknowns

Description

Ten Unknowns, John Robin Baitz's latest work, is an explosive drama about art -- and what happens when it becomes commerce. Malcolm Raphelson is a painter who was at the top of the art world -- until the critical vogue turned from realism to abstract expressionist work. He has been in self-imposed exile in Mexico for decades, until dealer Trevor Fabricant decides it's time for a retrospective. Trevor sends Judd, a talented and tormented young painter, to serve as Malcolm's assistant and unofficial minder. When they are joined by a beautiful young student, their tense equilibrium is upset. With seemingly spontaneous dialogue and a world portrayed with its many conflicts, Ten Unknowns is an important contemporary work about modern America, bringing into question its morals and sensibilities.

"Mr. Baitz is without peer among his contemporaries in creating dialogue that spontaneously conveys a character's social context and moral limitations."