The German-born British painter Walter Sickert was unabashedly provocative in his depictions of the urban underbelly at the beginning of the 20th century. Indeed, he helped aim British art toward modernism. Sickert was fascinated by the mundane. He focused on lethargy and ennui, and looked into the lives of female sex workers. At a time when other artists were creating grand, theatrical works, Sickert’s lowly subject matter was radical, and the absence of drama provided its own narrative. In the most significant collection of Sickert’s art in almost 20 years, Piano Nobile presents a comprehensive view of every period of his career, with an emphasis on his printmaking and lithography. —Maggie Turner