Product Description
Already published in France, Spain and Germany to wide acclaim, this book presents an insider’s portrait of Pablo Picasso, the women in his life and the Picasso family. The author, Picasso’s grandson Olivier Widmaier-Picasso spoke extensively with relatives, friends, and contemporaries of the artist and discovered unknown information about Picasso’s life. Correcting previous portrayals of the artist which have been highly critical of his personal relationships and treatment of women, this book offers a balanced and sensitive account of his life. Olivier Widmaier-Picasso—whose grandmother was the artist’s muse and lover Marie-Thérèse—answers allegations about everything from the artist’s sexuality and relation to money and politics to the feuding over his estate and the author’s own handling of the artist’s legacy. This compassionate, penetrating biography, which includes never before published family photographs, offers a unique perspective as it explores the double-edged sword that is fame and talent. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent Read AboutPicasso Family and Heirs
Finally, a book about Picasso that tells a coherent biographical history and backs up information with references, and all by a family member who evidently did his research (the son of Maya, Marie-Therese's daughter).

The author never knew his grandfather so he had to do his research in order to write such a consice history. My favorite read on Picasso is still Francoise Gilot's "Life with Picasso" but this one is a close second. The Real Family Story is an excellent read on the artist's myriad families and the heirs of Picasso, though none of the other books by family members can be discounted.

The only real slant is that Olivier Widmaier Picasso appears to be closer to the Francoise side of the family than the Olga side of the family (which may be an understatement) but in such an expansive family there are naturally divides.

Importantly, delves into the troublesome estate matters left behind by Picasso, which all heirs seemed to have benefitted after a lot of legal process.

The logical, real deal about the painter
Finally, a biography about Picasso written by a family member (his grandson by Marie-Therese Walter)that puts right all the ogre mythology. Yes, Picasso was not an ideal family man. But so much written about him in other biographies deem him almost inhuman. This bio is good because it puts all the facts out there. Good and bad. Widmaier refutes many of the "evil man myths" and gives you a straight view of what the man was really made of. I felt after reading this, a real grasp on this man/legend. A good job, that maybe his Grandfather would have appreciated, even though he was such a private person.

A Love of The Artist For His Mother.
Throughout the ages, poets and philosophers have extolled the virtues of womanhood and motherhood.Pablo Picasso is quoted:"My mother said to me, 'If you become a soldier you'll be a general; if you become a monk you'll end up as the pope.'Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso. ... Read more

Product Description
Of all the books on the man many consider the greatest genius of 20th-century art, the sumptuous hardcover volume published by Abrams in 2000 stands out as truly the "ultimate" Picasso. This new paperback edition includes everything in the previous book, in a smaller, reader-friendly format. It covers in one volume all the periods of Picasso's long, incredibly versatile career, with exquisite reproductions of nearly every significant work he ever created and texts by leading authorities on particular periods of Picasso's artistic evolution.

Brigitte Léal covers Picasso's formative years from 1881 through 1916, a period that includes his invention of Cubism with Georges Braque. Christine Piot explores the astonishingly fertile period from 1917 through 1952. Marie-Laure Bernadac discusses the unabashed vigor of Picasso's later years, from 1953 until his death in 1973. More than 1,200 magnificent reproductions, almost 800 in full color, illustrate Picasso's breathtaking range of artistic expression, including paintings, drawings, lithographs, ceramics, and sculpture. Picasso once boasted that a book would have to be written every day to keep up with his creative output. Perhaps. But for art lovers and students seeking just one book, The Ultimate Picasso is unsurpassed.Amazon.com Review
If you had to choose just one book about Pablo Picasso, the most protean artist of the 20th century, what would you look for? Copious, good-quality reproductions. An authoritative account of the way his approach to painting was influenced by his personality, the women in his life, and his awareness of art made by others. An in-depth treatment of key works like Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (which Picasso memorably called his "first exorcism painting") and signature themes, like the half-man, half-animal Minotaur. Then there's the question of tone. Some books cast Picasso as a demigod or a destroyer. Others, like art historian John Richardson's A Life of Picasso, offer a more balanced, psychologically penetrating portrait of the artist.

Hefty, elegant, and inclusive, The Ultimate Picasso hits most, though not all, of these marks. It offers more than 1,200 reproductions (nearly 800 in color) spanning the artist's entire career. Smoothly translated from the French, the book weaves biographical detail and discussions of the art into a concise narrative. ("Olga became pregnant in the summer of 1920, and in Picasso's work forms blossomed and flesh took on the massive quality of stone.") The three authors are all experts--Léal and Bernadac are (respectively) present and former curators of the Musée Picasso in Paris, and Piot coauthored the catalogue raisonné of Picasso's sculpture. They clearly explain visual sources, duly acknowledge leading art historians' interpretations, and choose good quotes from contemporaries. Yet the text can be surprisingly skimpy. The 16-page section on Guernica, for example, has barely two pages of discussion about the painting and its genesis. The authors keep an extremely tight focus on their subject, with only as much mention of Picasso's contemporaries or the outside world as is absolutely necessary.

The major flaws, however, are the authors' hyperbolic view of their subject ("Picasso did not paint nature, but the suffering of the men and women of his time, creating from it beauty and truth") and the lack of any psychological insight about the repeated devastation Picasso wreaks on the female form. In this old-fashioned portrait of the male artist as genius, human failings do not exist, unless they belong to somebody else. --Cathy Curtis ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Wonderful plates but a bit short on detail
As an artist I have mixed feelings about this book. The number and quality of reproductions are wonderful - the book is well worth purchasing just for the visual references! For someone interested in Picasso's daily life and creative skills it was a bit disappointing. Each section was well written and very readable. However, the attempt to condense such a lengthy time span of artistic achievement resulted in many parts of the book following a sort of "travelogue" litany - in this year he lived in this city and created these pieces, the next summer he moved to another city and created these others, etc. I think that in their attempt to leave no work unmentioned the authors became mere cataloguers.
Since reading this book I've read the three volumes of John Richardson's "Life of Picasso". I'm glad I started with "The Ultimate Picasso" for two reasons - firstly, the number of color plates (the Richardson books are a bit scanty on pics, and most are in black and white), and secondly, the "Ultimate" served as a wonderful appetizer - without it I'm not sure my interest would have sustained me through the Richardson volumes. I would definitely recommend that anyone interested in Picasso purchase both the "Ultimate" and "Life" books. Between them they provide a fascinating look at the life and the art of this amazing artist!

Beautiful work!
For many years I've been a great admirer of Pablo Picasso's work. Whenever I travel I always look for Picasso's museums or General Art Museums where Picasso's works are displayed. As a result of these trips I've gathered panflets, brochures and many books focusing different phases of the artist. However something was missing! And that would be a comprehensive overview that could be able to explain and make sense of his imense and brilliant lifelong work and at the same time to show magnificent reproductions! congratulations to the author who was very successful in her enterprise!

Stunningly Great Book
This is a great book. It's chock full of illustrations--so many that they just quit offering text every few pages to let the images catch up. It goes through his entire life, showing the art he created for each section. It's great, insightfull, a huge folio-sized book and just an all around great read/see.

The ultimate Picasso artwork reference.
I took this book out of our university library to have on hand while reading Françoise Gilot's "Living with Picasso", in order to see representations of the artwork to which she refers throughout the book."The Ultimate Picasso" proved invaluable. Not only does it contain Picasso's complete major works, they are also presented in chronological order which made look-up easy despite Gilot's often describing an artwork and the process used to create it but not always giving its title (she always gives dates).I ordered "The Ultimate Picasso" before the library due date because I couldn't bear to not have the book in my house!
The photos of the artwork are brilliant and crisp, and the accompanying text is informative.
You will not be disappointed by this book.

the best picasso book ever!!
this book rocks so much it breaks the very laws that govern physics!! so much information, so many beautiful pictures, so dense.it seems to capture the very spirit of pablo picasso. it was give to me as a valentine's day gift, and it is one of my most prized books. this is a MUST purchase for any picasso fan. ... Read more

Product Description
Now in paperback: the third volume of John Richardson’s magisterial Life of Picasso.

Here is Picasso at the height of his powers in Rome and Naples, producing the sets and costumes with Cocteau for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, and visiting Pompei where the antique statuary fuel his obsession with classicism; in Paris, creating some of his most important sculpture and painting as part of a group that included Braque, Apollinaire, Miró, and Breton; spending summers in the South of France in the company of Gerald and Sara Murphy, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald. These are the years of his marriage to the Russian ballerina Olga Khokhlova—the mother of his only legitimate child, Paulo—and of his passionate affair with Marie-Thérèse Walter, who was, as well, his model and muse.

A groundbreaking contribution to our understanding of one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Danse macabre
What a delightful book--love the paper, the photos of paintings, the breezy and insightful text.Gives a blow by blow account of Picasso's painting, sculpture, loves, houses, friends and enemies and much more during these years. Never boring, very easy and enjoyable to read.

Psychological profile...
Reading John Richardson's biography of Picasso, I was struck by the fact that Carl Jung labeled Picasso "schizophrenic."
Art publisher, Christian Zervos, dealing with Picasso in 1932, wrote that "I know the pleasure he gets from seeing someone suffer physically or mentally. For instance, when he is at his chateau, he takes great pleasure in having his Saint Bernard dog attack the cats and watching them agonize as their backbones crack."...
Richardson dismisses this characterization of Picasso as sadistic toward animals, but it seems to ring true.
I feel most sorry for Marie-Therese, taken as a child and molded to his sexual aberrations.

Volume 4, Please.
I have all 3 volumes of John Richardson's incredible "Picasso" biography, plus a host of others on Picasso and Matisse.I eagerly await Volume 4, which will have to cover the last forty years of Picasso's life.Probably more condensed, by necessity, than the earlier volumes. I saw J.R. on the Charley Rose TV show the other night, and he looked remarkably vibrant for an octogenarian. He was there with Picasso's grandson to talk about the new Picasso exhibition in NY, and did not talk about Volume 4, except to say that it did not yet have a title. No word on a publication date.

A Life In Full
Anyone with a deep interest in art history will want to buy and read this highly instructive book.

John Richardson draws from a deep well of personal and professional knowledge in writing this lively volume covering fifteen critical years in the career of the last century's foremost artist.

Picasso Part 3
I love Picasso and to read about him as a regular guy living his life is very revealing in that he is human as well as a protean god of Art.Loved this book as it continues the story along.The only real criticism I have of J. Richardson is that it seems he's in a rush.Quite a difference from the slow but sure tone of the first two books.It seems for some reason that he went in and took out a lot of stuff some stupid editor told him was too much for any one to care about.Wrong.I sure hope he finishes the proposed 7 volume series but for as long as it is taking him to write it, well, I will keep my fingers crossed because he writes in a honest way the story of one man who changed the world. ... Read more

Product Description
Sylvette is a shy little girl, but her neighbor happens to be the artist Pablo Picasso. Attracted by SylvetteÂ's classical facial profile and her lovely ponytail hair style, Picasso convinces her to overcome her shyness and pose for a series of artworks. These drawings, paintings, and sculptures soon become world famous, and encouraged to abandon her shyness, Sylvette herself begins a career as a fine artist. This is a title in BarronÂ's AnholtÂ's Artists Books for Children series, in which author and illustrator Laurence Anholt recalls memorable and sometimes amusing moments when the lives of the artists were touched by children. AnholtÂ's fine illustrations appear on every page and include reproductions of works by the artists. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Best!
We just came back from the Musee Picasso in Paris, and my kids had been looking for the boomarang that had been shown in his studio in this book, at the museum, because they were so curious as to what a boomarang was!We also looked for the artwork, too!This is one of my absolute favorites of all the OUTSTANDING Anholt artist books for children!The real photo of "the girl with the ponytail" and Picasso in the back of the book is awesome!

Picasso and the Girl with a Ponytail
This is a beautifully written story about Picasso's muse.It's perfect for children who either do not know much about Picasso or want to learn more about him.

Wild and wonderful!!
Let me say in the first sentence: "Picasso and the Girl with a Ponytail" is a wonderful introduction to Picasso and his art. If more informational books for children were as creative and colorful as this one, children would stand in line at libraries and bookstores clutching their cards or money to take this kind of book home. It's that good!

Laurence Anholt, both author and illustrator, captures one summer in the life of Picasso in Vallauris in southern France in 1954. Picasso met young Sylvette, a shy teenager who had very secret aspirations to be an artist herself. He drew a delicate pencil sketch of her head and shoulders, featuring particularly her lovely ponytail. This was the first of about 40 works of art with Sylvette as subject.

Anholt's artwork is both light, colorful, and cheerful and casts Picasso in a most delightful manner. Although his house was cluttered with items he would later use as "found art," it shows so many different works of art Picasso had already created.

Finally, Sylvette tells Picasso her dreams. So he advises her. One night at the end of summer he completes a sculpture of Sylvette made of huge pottery pieces and adds a huge key in one hand as the key to all her secrets and a key to open a new door. He gives her a choice of any painting. She chooses the first one he did of her, later sells it, and buys an apartment on the top floor in a building overlooking all of Paris. That painting was her key.

I know I have told the ending, but in a biographical sketch, there are no secrets. Besides, the fun of this book is the joy in every illustration. Unlike some books which denigrate Picasso, this book celebrates him.

Although designed for children 9-12, this book will appeal to all ages as a delightful, one-stop foray into Picasso's famous and flamboyant life. ... Read more

Product Description
Printmaking was fundamental to Pablo Picasso's artistic vision. Over his long career, he made well over 2,000 printed images, focusing on the intaglio techniques of etching, engraving, drypoint and aquatint, as well as on lithography and linoleum cut. This publication, published to accompany an exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, explores Picasso's creative process in printmaking starting in the early years of the twentieth century with his Blue and Rose periods, and extending up to the last years of his life. Divided into 12 thematic sections, the book presents highlights from the Museum's extraordinary collection of Picasso's prints. These include such celebrated masterworks as "The Minotauromachy" and "The Weeping Woman" from the 1930s, as well as evolving states that reveal how Picasso's imagery developed. One example of such metamorphosis is seen in a series of lithographs from the 1940s in which a progression is established from the realistic depiction of a bull to one that is completely abstract and captured in just a few lines. Other prints reveal changing interpretations of the women in Picasso's life, who served both as artistic subjects and as catalytic forces for his creativity. Filled with full-page illustrations accompanied by extended captions, A Picasso Portfolio features an essay by Deborah Wye, Chief Curator of Prints and Illustrated Books at MoMA, and introductions to each thematic section. The book concludes with a chronology and bibliography focusing on Picasso's printmaking. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A unique collection ofPicasso's sketches and prints
I saw this special exhibit of Picasso's lesser known sketch and print work at the MOMA this April and wanted to get the book in order to remember it. I resisted buying it in the Museum Store because I knew it would be cheaper on Amazon and it was! Anyway, the art in this collection shows Picasso's range and his many interests. It is especially interesting to see his cubist style in development as you look at the works in this collection. If you're a Picasso-lover, you'll be glad you got your hands on this book because it lets you see a different side of his work. If you're not a huge Picasso fan, the strikingly beautiful prints in this collection may win you over! ... Read more

Product Description
Revised Edition,1968. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good book . pleased with my purchase
Good book, Pleased with purchase. Impressed with the quality of the work in the book by David Duncan. I"m still looking for lithographs by Picasso that are documented and photgraphed, especially 1956 to 1958 when he was painting a La Californie in Cannes. Does anyone know if the color lithographs were photographed ?
Maurice L. ... Read more

Product Description
Pablo Picasso , father of Cubism, painter of 'Guernica', but chiefly an artist of 'Eros and Tanathos': women, bullfights, culinary pleasure, the sun and the sea. A gifted man, thoroughly down to Earth, and blessed with an indomitable lust for life. With half of his career already behind him and at the peak of his fame, he began working in clay. The sensuality and pliability of the material made the Master passionate for the medium. In barely ten years he modelled, scratched, indented and distorted to create an extensive body of ceramic work. This book reveals how Picasso conjured up animals, women, flowers and entire bull-fighting arenas out of plates, pitchers, vases and dishes. Each subject depicted on canvas or paper now appeared in clay, but even more intense as he already saw a female form in the vase itself, or a face in a plate, or a sun-drenched arena in a dish. Ceramic is Picasso in 3D - painting and sculpture come together. The illusion of the flat plane dissolves into the three-dimensiona ... Read more

Product Description
Picasso met Fran oise Gilot, the young French student who was to become his muse and favorite model, while waiting out the war years in Paris. She appeared again and again in his works of the 1940s and 50s, often with her face stylized to recall the sun or a plant. It was also during this period--known as his Pariode Fran oise--that Picasso employed a cheerful palette not seen before in his work. His concurrent interest in the motifs of Mediterranean antiquity and mythology, from dancing centaurs to music-making fauns, is attributed to a stay in the Cap d'Antibes on the Cute d'Azur in 1946. In this volume, internationally recognized French and German Picasso scholars consider the different facets of the artist's work during this period. Rich illustrations illuminate the connections between the motifs of his paintings and sculptural and graphic work. Also included are reproductions of Fran oise Gilot's own work, thus allowing entry into the artistic dialogue that occurred between Picasso and his young partner, who separated from him in 1953. ... Read more

Product Description
The art of ceramics, the use of fired clay to create everyday utensils and art objects, goes back to the dawn of time. Since then, the many civilizations that have inhabited the shores of the Mediterranean have used the potter's wheel to produce a great variety of beautiful pieces.The work of Pablo Picasso emerged within the framework of this tradition. Those who love his genius-most seen in his paintings, sculptures, and prints-will be beguiled by this publication which comprehensively documents an exhibition of pieces whose everyday shapes were transformed by the artist's magic touch.

The lushly-designed book is a definitive guide to Picasso's ceramic work done at the Madoura Workshop in Vallauris-an area of his artistry is only now being fully explored.Not just for experts, it is designed for broader understanding and enjoyment of ceramics created by one of the world's most celebrated artists.It features a critical essay by the distinguished Spanish curator and art historian Kosme de Baraano, a section offering seven artists' perspectives on Picasso's work as a ceramist, a catalogue of sixty-three pieces fully-illustrated in color-many with multiple views, and an extensive glossary of terms that provides an explanation of ceramic techniques.Illustrations cover almost the whole range of forms and styles produced by the artist and include enlarged details of work; related sketches and drawings; photographs of the artist and his studio; and examples of Greek, Egyptian, and Mediterranean antiquities that inspired the artist's oeuvre. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Picasso works of variable quality excellently presented
The endless permutations of Picasso exhibitions continue unabated. This catalogue is of a showing at the Metropolitan Museum of their collection of Picasso paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics and prints. As such the exhibition does not have any unifying theme.

The undoubted standout work in this collection is the iconic "Portrait of Gertrude Stein". There certainly are other worthwhile paintings and drawings on show; these are primarily from the artist's earlier periods. It must be noted that the bulk of the works are not Picasso's most important creations. Be that as it may, they are still worth a look and I have enjoyed seeing many for the first time. At the end of the book are 400 small sized illustrations of prints by the artist.

This book is up to the usual high standard of Metropolitan Museum publications; the annotations and essays are informative and scholarly. Additionally the reproductions of the art works are of high quality. Picasso fans need not hesitate.

WOW - This Book is a Bargain


A fabulous art book must meet certain requirements, the first of which is the quality of the product. Whether it involves the quality of the paper as I flip the pages, or whether the correct font was used to make it easy on my eyes, or most importantly what is the quality of the reproduction of the pictures being portrayed? I also have issues with whether or not it is easy to work with the written text while dealing with the location of the pictures. Most art books fail with one or more of these issues, and then there is the overall issue as to whether or not this book accurately portrays the artist in question, and does it provide a great learning experience that I will refer to in the future again and again?


Picasso in the Metropolitan Museum of Art published by the quality driven Yale University Press seems to get the job done on all counts. I simply loved this book, and surprisingly, I have read it from cover to cover which I doubt more than one out of 100 readers will do. I will give you my reasons for this in a moment. The beginning of the book provides a 10 page understanding of the Met Picasso Collection by Gary Tinterow who tells you how this collection came together. The book is the Met's complete collection of its Picasso pictures, drawings, sculptures, and lithographs - all of it. This collection is second in American only to that possessed by New York's Museum of Modern Art. There are no borrowings from other museums for the Met Exhibit, however the book does have pictures of related art works from both public, and private collections which dramatically improves the reader's understanding of the art work in question.


Beginning on page 16 and going through page 258 there are 94 separate paintings, drawings, and sculptures that are portrayed, and they are in chronological order dating from 1900 until 1968. You will learn an enormous amount by reading any one of the short 1 to 2 page narratives associated with each picture. After each story there are a handful of footnotes, but just a handful. You will then find a provenance orownership history telling you in every case, who owned this painting from the time it left Picasso's hands until it wound up in the Met Collection. Included in many cases are the purchase prices with associated dates, which is absolutely fascinating to learn about, because you can watch a picture go from $50 when it was created to $12,500 to millions.


You are also provided a short listing of every exhibition in which the art work participated, and there are the references for further research. My favorite section is the last section of each story which is called TECHNICAL NOTE. It tells you in detail technical aspects of the picture including the type of material Picasso used for each work. You will also learn about his particular technique with each picture including the types of paints, or charcoals, how he mixed his paints, and most importantly a preservation history of the art work. Was the varnish removed? What kind of research including x-rays and other techniques were employed to determine if there were pictures underneath the painting in question, or did Picasso pencil in the sketch first, or did he paint without sketching.


What amazed me is that there was nothing dry about the narratives. Usually art intellectuals are among the most boring, pompous people on the planet, but this information was somehow fascinating. There was no attempt to intimidate the reader. This is the only reason I can use to explain my willingness to read this book from beginning to end.


Commencing on page 261 through page 320 you will find the Met's collection of Picasso's lithographs, and etchings. Some are done six to a page, while others are three to a page. Here you will find very short snippets about each art work. These I found worth just glancing at individually to get an excellent feel for Picasso's work.


In summary, the pictures are excellent reproductions, the narratives are superb, and the book has a wonderful feel to it as it was printed on high gloss paper. As far as catalogues for art exhibits go, this book is just superb, and I give it five stars.


Afterthoughts:


If you are like me and you like to go to art exhibits at museums, may I suggest that you first purchase the book associated with the exhibit and spend some time with it, before going to the exhibit. Most people buy the book after viewing the exhibit while leaving. You will enhance your experience by many magnitudes by going through the book first. There is nothing like having knowledge prior to going through the actual pictures, or as one professor said in class years ago, "10 minutes of preview is worth 30 minutes of review."


Richard Stoyeck

Everything the Met owns by Picasso and never dared to show
Whatever the numerous criticisms on this current show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC (the almost total absence of Cubist works, a depression-time exhibit with no loans from other museums, a diminutive collection when compared to the unsurpassed holdings of nearby MOMA...) this is a beautiful exhibition and the book that accompanies it is up to the Met's high standards of quality.

About 300 works, the entire Picasso collection of the museum (a good part of it drawings and prints), are studied here, with a strong emphasis on pre-cubist works (a seldom-seen blue-period erotic work that Picasso once disavowed, icons such as the Gertrude Stein portrait, or the famous "Au Lapin Agile" donated by the late Walter Annenberg)and two good 1932 portraits of Marie-Thérèse. The main asset of the book, apart from the excellent reproductions, is the quality of the essays which reveal new scholarship on the artist, such as the discovery of hidden paintings behind the actual extant works (Picasso, in his early years would commonly paint over existing works, by himself or other artist friends, in order to save on the money needed to buy new canvases).

A very interesting book which I recommend to anyone interested in the most famous painter of the XXth century. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Picasso works of variable quality excellently presented
The endless permutations of Picasso exhibitions continue unabated. This catalogue is of a showing at the Metropolitan Museum of their collection of Picasso paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics and prints. As such the exhibition does not have any unifying theme.

The undoubted standout work in this collection is the iconic "Portrait of Gertrude Stein". There certainly are other worthwhile paintings and drawings on show; these are primarily from the artist's earlier periods. It must be noted that the bulk of the works are not Picasso's most important creations. Be that as it may, they are still worth a look and I have enjoyed seeing many for the first time. At the end of the book are 400 small sized illustrations of prints by the artist.

This book is up to the usual high standard of Metropolitan Museum publications; the annotations and essays are informative and scholarly. Additionally the reproductions of the art works are of high quality. Picasso fans need not hesitate.

WOW - This Book is a Bargain


A fabulous art book must meet certain requirements, the first of which is the quality of the product. Whether it involves the quality of the paper as I flip the pages, or whether the correct font was used to make it easy on my eyes, or most importantly what is the quality of the reproduction of the pictures being portrayed? I also have issues with whether or not it is easy to work with the written text while dealing with the location of the pictures. Most art books fail with one or more of these issues, and then there is the overall issue as to whether or not this book accurately portrays the artist in question, and does it provide a great learning experience that I will refer to in the future again and again?


Picasso in the Metropolitan Museum of Art published by the quality driven Yale University Press seems to get the job done on all counts. I simply loved this book, and surprisingly, I have read it from cover to cover which I doubt more than one out of 100 readers will do. I will give you my reasons for this in a moment. The beginning of the book provides a 10 page understanding of the Met Picasso Collection by Gary Tinterow who tells you how this collection came together. The book is the Met's complete collection of its Picasso pictures, drawings, sculptures, and lithographs - all of it. This collection is second in American only to that possessed by New York's Museum of Modern Art. There are no borrowings from other museums for the Met Exhibit, however the book does have pictures of related art works from both public, and private collections which dramatically improves the reader's understanding of the art work in question.


Beginning on page 16 and going through page 258 there are 94 separate paintings, drawings, and sculptures that are portrayed, and they are in chronological order dating from 1900 until 1968. You will learn an enormous amount by reading any one of the short 1 to 2 page narratives associated with each picture. After each story there are a handful of footnotes, but just a handful. You will then find a provenance orownership history telling you in every case, who owned this painting from the time it left Picasso's hands until it wound up in the Met Collection. Included in many cases are the purchase prices with associated dates, which is absolutely fascinating to learn about, because you can watch a picture go from $50 when it was created to $12,500 to millions.


You are also provided a short listing of every exhibition in which the art work participated, and there are the references for further research. My favorite section is the last section of each story which is called TECHNICAL NOTE. It tells you in detail technical aspects of the picture including the type of material Picasso used for each work. You will also learn about his particular technique with each picture including the types of paints, or charcoals, how he mixed his paints, and most importantly a preservation history of the art work. Was the varnish removed? What kind of research including x-rays and other techniques were employed to determine if there were pictures underneath the painting in question, or did Picasso pencil in the sketch first, or did he paint without sketching.


What amazed me is that there was nothing dry about the narratives. Usually art intellectuals are among the most boring, pompous people on the planet, but this information was somehow fascinating. There was no attempt to intimidate the reader. This is the only reason I can use to explain my willingness to read this book from beginning to end.


Commencing on page 261 through page 320 you will find the Met's collection of Picasso's lithographs, and etchings. Some are done six to a page, while others are three to a page. Here you will find very short snippets about each art work. These I found worth just glancing at individually to get an excellent feel for Picasso's work.


In summary, the pictures are excellent reproductions, the narratives are superb, and the book has a wonderful feel to it as it was printed on high gloss paper. As far as catalogues for art exhibits go, this book is just superb, and I give it five stars.


Afterthoughts:


If you are like me and you like to go to art exhibits at museums, may I suggest that you first purchase the book associated with the exhibit and spend some time with it, before going to the exhibit. Most people buy the book after viewing the exhibit while leaving. You will enhance your experience by many magnitudes by going through the book first. There is nothing like having knowledge prior to going through the actual pictures, or as one professor said in class years ago, "10 minutes of preview is worth 30 minutes of review."


Richard Stoyeck

Everything the Met owns by Picasso and never dared to show
Whatever the numerous criticisms on this current show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC (the almost total absence of Cubist works, a depression-time exhibit with no loans from other museums, a diminutive collection when compared to the unsurpassed holdings of nearby MOMA...) this is a beautiful exhibition and the book that accompanies it is up to the Met's high standards of quality.

About 300 works, the entire Picasso collection of the museum (a good part of it drawings and prints), are studied here, with a strong emphasis on pre-cubist works (a seldom-seen blue-period erotic work that Picasso once disavowed, icons such as the Gertrude Stein portrait, or the famous "Au Lapin Agile" donated by the late Walter Annenberg)and two good 1932 portraits of Marie-Thérèse. The main asset of the book, apart from the excellent reproductions, is the quality of the essays which reveal new scholarship on the artist, such as the discovery of hidden paintings behind the actual extant works (Picasso, in his early years would commonly paint over existing works, by himself or other artist friends, in order to save on the money needed to buy new canvases).

A very interesting book which I recommend to anyone interested in the most famous painter of the XXth century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Awsome doorstop-of-a-book on Le Grand Maitre of modernist art !
MoMA's William Rubin and Dominique Bozo of Le Musée Picasso in Paris made a historic and commendable joint curatorial effort to assemble a fantastic exhibition of Picasso's artworks from the 1890's till his passing in 1973.

Attended by more than 976,800 visitors, the 1980 "PABLO PICASSO" retrospective remains the museum all-time most popular exhibition. This book is for those who could not make it to New York City's MoMA to pay a unique homage to the Michelangelo of the 20th Century.

The four colors reproductions of Picasso's artworks meet the eyes with high quality standards. Also included are many archival B&W photos of Le Grand Maitre and his cultured friends, inspirational muses, celebrated mistresses, lovely models, honorable family members and a coterie of various hanger-ons.

An Object d'Art in itself, this Picasso book -now out-of-print- is a pretty good way to get yourself acquainted with the famous artworks and the multiple lives of this unforgettable art-world legend.

758 Illustrations (200 in colors) and 181 reference illustrations.
Chronology by Jane Fluegel.
Designed by Christopher Holmes.
Printed and bound by The Arts Publishers, Inc., Richmond and New York in the United States of America. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

IN WHICH WAY (ARTISTS) ARE STARS BRIGHTER THAN THEY (LETTERS) ARE
This is a nicely made, well-constructed book. It has a colorful, painterly book jacket with sturdy spine and thick pages. Inside, there is a 26-page introduction with footnotes, all written by the editor Laurence Madeline with an accompanying black and white photograph of Gertrude Stein taken by May Ray. There is no companion photograph of Pablo Picasso, although there is at least one photo of Pablo with Olga starting on page 335.

The remaining pages of this 390-page book (disregarding the Index ) mostly consist of 254 numbered pieces of correspondence among Leo Stein, Pablo Picasso, Fernande Olivier (or Eva Gouel), Gertrude Stein, and Alice B. Toklas. Correspondence is the generous term here, suggesting letters or missives mainly, but (mere) notes, (mere) postcards and (mere) telegrams or pneumatics are more specifically what the reader will uncover within the pages of this book. The first 123 pieces of correspondence, from page 9 to page 180, starting from March 1906 to January 1916, contain postcards, notes, or letters written largely by Pablo Picasso (in which Picasso greets the Steins generally with the salutation "Friends") and/or Fernande to the Steins or are pieces of correspondence written by Leo Stein to Picasso. It is only after page 181 (from February 1916 through November 1944) that the reader discovers the "real" correspondence between Stein and Picasso or vice-versa, along with a few letters by Alice B. Toklas to Picasso. (In the last section of the book, most of the correspondence is written by Gertrude Stein to Picasso and not vice-versa.)

There are also four more mini-prefaces or two-page introductions written by the editor that summarize the forthcoming pieces of correspondence: "The Painter and the Writer" (1912-1914), "Their Different Wars" (1914-1919), "The Road to Belley" (1922-1945), and "The End of a Friendship" (1936-1944). These mini-prefaces are quite helpful in making better sense of what otherwise would seem to the casual reader to be trivialities and much miserable miscellanea.

Non-existent is that piece of correspondence among these individuals that is interesting in and for itself or for any insight into the creative processes of Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso. For the most part, the reader is witness merely to the extending of invitations amongst each of the writers, well-wishes, acknowledgment of visits or of gifts, howdy-do's, and other such occasional matters, although a death or two occurs and is briefly mentioned or discussed. On page 70, correspondence no. 46, the reader finds Picasso writing to Gertrude and Leo Stein - with one sentence "Friendly greetings to you both," composed 28 May 1910. To illuminate (and perhaps obscure) the quotidian nature of these words and this letter, editor Laurence Madeline installs two footnotes, one of which states that Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein were staying in Florence for the summer which is where Picasso sent this particular postcard. Pretty fascinating stuff, no? There are some references to the war and its effects around page 200 or so, and these are very helpful to lift one out of the doldrums.

In this collection, there is almost no pneumatic, note, postcard or telegram that is longer than a single page in length. All the footnotes to these items, however, are usually longer than any piece of correspondence and can extend to more than a page in length.

This collection of correspondence would have little worth or meaning were it not for the footnotes. Heavily relying upon Gertrude Stein's "The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas" and James Lord's "Six Exceptional Women," they contain background and historical information that make helpful contributions to the illumination of these pale and sometimes inscrutable letters as well as the lives of either pair of Cubists. For instance, because neither Gertrude Stein nor Pablo Picasso wrote French very well, these letters have been translated by Lorna Scott Fox into an English that's deemed appropriate to each correspondent based on a knowledge of his or her personality and eccentricities. The footnotes also help the reader to understand the meanings of certain strange or incomprehensible phrases used in the correspondence as well.

Throughout the book are scattered sundry photographs and reproductions, some of paintings or pieces of sculpture, others are of the letters themselves or the postcards -- all in black and white. There are no colored photographs or illustrations in the book at all, which is a pity.

The text is printed in such a way as to have easily readable typeface with plenty of white space around the text and footnotes to make the whole book easily comprehensible and non-intimidating.

It is a shame that this correspondence isn't more illuminating and possesses historical interest only, although it is a pleasure to learn here that Gertrude Stein was quite capable of writing a perfectly plain and natural sentence now and again, sounding no different from any other average American.We also learn that Gertrude Stein liked Evian water and had a very difficult time of it trying to get her radiators back from Picasso after having loaned them to him for the winter when Gertrude and Alice were still living in Bilignin and Picasso was left behind to reside in Paris.

Near the middle-end of the book, I found a question regarding the editor's attitude toward Gertrude Stein.In a footnote on page 216, Ms. Madeline writes that Braque had a good reason to dislike Gertrude Stein since "she never bought one of his paintings nor acknowledged his role in the invention of Cubism."What?This is certainly a non-objective, non-factual statement and biased viewpoint .

Despite the fact that this book of correspondence seemed overlong and not very instructive for Stein fans in particular, it was sad to come to the end of the book of letters (1944) and to be reminded once more that Gertrude Stein -- whose own letters clearly showed she valued her friendship with Picasso for 30 years (though, regrettably, he didn't share her same right-wing political leanings nor value his friendship with her to quite the same degree)-- is gone from the living. ... Read more

Product Description
In The Cubist Rebel, 1907–1916, the second volume of his Life of Picasso, John Richardson reveals the young Picasso in the Baudelairean role of “the painter of modern life”—a role that stipulated the brothel as the noblest subject for a modern artist. Hence his great breakthrough painting, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, with which this book opens. As well as portraying Picasso as a revolutionary, Richardson analyzes the more compassionate side of his genius. The misogynist of posthumous legend turns out to have been surprisingly vulnerable—more often sinned against than sinning. Heartbroken at the death of his mistress Eva, Picasso tried desperately to find a wife. Richardson recounts the untold story of how his two great loves of 1915–17 successively turned him down. These disappointments, as well as his horror at the outbreak of World War I and the wounds it inflicted on his closest friends, Braque and Apollinaire, shadowed his painting and drove him off to work for the Ballets Russes in Rome and Naples—back to the ancient world.

In this volume we see the artist’s life and work during the crucial decade of 1907–17, a period during which Picasso and Georges Braque devised what has come to be known as cubism and in doing so engendered modernism. Thanks to the author’s friendship with Picasso and some of the women in his life, as well as Braque and their dealer, D. H. Kahnweiler, and other associates, he has had access to untapped sources and unpublished material. In The Cubist Rebel, Richardson also introduces us to key figures in Picasso’s life who have been totally overlooked by previous biographers. Among these are the artist’s Chilean patron, collector, and mother figure, Eugenia Errázuriz, as well as two fiancées: the loveable Geneviève Laporte and the promiscuous bisexual painter Irène Lagut.

By harnessing biography to art history, he has managed to crack the code of cubism more successfully than any of his predecessors. And by bringing fresh light to bear on the artist’s private life, he has succeeded in coming up with a new view of this paradoxical man and of his paradoxical work. Never before have Picasso’s revolutionary vision, technical versatility, prodigious achievements, and, not least, his sardonic humor been analyzed with such clarity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Read all three volumes
Read all three volumes of Richardson's marvelous biography of Picasso, they are wonderful, and when you are done read The Sorcerer's Apprentice by John Richardson, the story of Picasso, Provence and Douglas Cooper.

As good as volume I
The second volume of John Richardson's monumental Picasso biography, this book focuses on the inception and rise of the Cubist movement, immediately following the production of the iconic "Demoiselles d'Avignon" in 1907. It is as lively written as volume I and is full of anecdotes, some of them previously unpublished, black and white illustrations of every single work discussed by the author (some in private collections and therefore rarely seen), and pictures of Picasso's friends, entourage and places he visited at the time. The relationship between the artist and his various dealers (Kahnweiler, Rosenberg, Guillaume) is particularly interesting and very well described.

The intertwining of the artist's life and his art is very well rendered by Richardson, who has managed once again to write a book that is at the same time erudite, simple to read and devoid of any pedantic cant.

fantastic book
This is the real deal when it comes to deep, satisfying biographies. Written by a true expert, it is also ful of life and lively details and manages to bring the enigma of Picasso closer to our understanding. I cannot compliment the author enough on bringing forth such a treat.

Picasso : The Cubist Rebel is the second volume in the projected four volume magisterial biography by John Richardson
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was an amorous Andalusian who spent most of his life in Paris. Picasso is the greatest artistic genius of the twentieth century. In this second volume of his sine qua non biography of the complex painter his friend John Richardson does a superb job of looking at his life from 1917-1932. The small print text of over 400 pages is complimented by the works of the master which are being discussed in the text. I love this technique! It makes Richardson's astute analysis of the artwork much easier to understand!
This era in Picasso's career is concerned with his invention of CUBISM a revolutionary avant-garde movement which changed the way we see and interpret art! Picasso drew on his love of Cezanne, El Greco and others to move from his blue and red period into the wild world of cubism.Cubism breaks down pictorial forms into angles and presents them to our eye as two-dimensional. Cubism makes use of cubes and lines, cones and
spheres to entice us into seeing reality in a new way. The movement was launched with Picasso's great 1907 masterpiece: "Les Madimoiselles d' Avignon." Picasso along with his best friend Georges Braque and lesser lights such as Juan Gris were in the vanguard of the burgeoning movement sweeping all aside! Cubism would be virulently attacked during World War I by French chauvinists who believed the movement was German and led by spies and decadents. As the war ended we see Picasso moving to neoclassicism. It was also in these years that he moved from a bohemian life to one of wealth and renown in the art world.
During these years Picasso lost his father and found several art dealers (especially in Germany and Russia) who purchased his art at high prices. His friendship with Gerturde and Leo Stein led to his being known in the United States. During this time we learn of his friendships with the eccentric poet Apollinaire and Max Jacob a Jewish convert to Catholicism who was a writer and worshipper at the great artist's throne.
As always we see Picasso falling in and out of love. He broke with his live in lover Ferdinand Oliver and almost wed a woman named Eva. He had torrid affairs with the lesbian bisexual Irene Legut and a woman named Gaby who refused to wed the mecurial quick-tempered moody Spaniard. The book ends with Picasso working on the art work curtains for the ballet
"Parade" produced for Serge Diagheliv's ballet company. It was then he got to know Stravinksy and Erik Satie as well as Jean Cocteau who became a big fan of Picasso.It was while working on the ballet in Rome that P:icasso met his first wife the lovely Olga Khoklova who was a ballerina with the company.
Picasso is an enigma entwined in a mystery! He could be generous and parsiminous, violent and gentle, loving and sadistic. I applaud his pacificsm during World War I. Browsing through these many pages one is astounded at the range and breadth of this artist's oeuvre. Only Henri Matisse can compete with the Andalusian bull.
No one can understand Picasso without devouring these volumes by Richardson. As Picasso changed the way we see so too does Richardson alter our perception and understanding of Picasso and Cubism. ... Read more

Product Description
Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso have long been seen as the twin giants of modern art, as polar opposites but also as complementary figures. Between them they are the originators of many of the most significant innovations of 20th-century painting and sculpture, but their relationship has rarely been explored in all of its closeness and complexity. In spite of their initial rivalry, the two masters eventually acknowledged one another as equals, becoming, in their old age, increasingly important to one another both artistically and personally. From the time of their initial encounters in 1906 in Gertrude and Leo Stein's Paris studio until 1917, they individually produced some of the greatest art of the 20th century and maintained an openly competitive relationship brimming with intense innovation. This period saw them create such works as Picasso's majestic "Woman with a Fan" of 1908 and Matisse's great portrait of his wife of 1913. Matisse responds to Synthetic Cubism in his "Piano Lesson" of 1916 and Picasso comes back in turn with a new, more decorative Cubism in "Three Musicians" of 1921. The 20s saw them grow apart, as Matisse moved from Paris to Nice and Picasso became involved with the Surrealists, but the 30s brought them together again, through their sheer fame and devotion to reality-based art. Their story continues until Matisse's death in 1954, when Picasso paid his friend and colleague tribute in his series Women of Algiers, of which he said, "When Matisse died, he left his odalisques to me as a legacy." Matisse Picasso presents the artists' oeuvres in groupings that reveal the affinities but also the extreme contrasts of their artistic visions. Published to accompany the landmark exhibition, a joint effort of The Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Tate Modern, London; the Réunion des musées nationaux/Musée Picasso and the Musée national d'art moderne/Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Matisse Picasso is the first major examination of the fascinating relationships between their art, their careers, and their lives. Thirty-four essays, each by a member of the exhibition's curatorial team, focus on a particular moment in the artists' evolving relationship. The authors present in-depth analyses of specific aspects of the unique artistic dialogue between Matisse and Picasso as reflected in selected juxtapositions of each artist's works. These texts are accompanied by an introductory history, commentary on the public perception of important artistic relationships, and an extensive chronology.

Picasso sees everything. --Henri Matisse

By Anne Baldassari, Elizabeth Cowling, John Elderfield, John Golding, Isabelle Monod-Fontaine and Kirk Varnedoe.

Hardcover, 9.75 x 12.25 in., 368 pages, 220 color and 60 b&w ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent
This is an excellent book with great reproductions of artwork.It also compares the two artist's.This is a good book for any artist to have.
It arrived as described in a timely manner.

Blockbuster
A blockbuster exhibition and a blockbuster catalogue. This book is hugely informative, very well organized, chronologically, with a constant comparison of both masters. Every masterpiece by Picasso is followed by one by Matisse and vice-versa. It is a break-through study on the mutual influence of both artists, an attempt once tried by the critic Yves-Alain Bois with less success. This book is required material for any arts library. The authors are all authorities in this particular field and vouch for the quality of the accompanying text.

Whew!
Huge, very heavy book of almost 400 pages.Wonderful reproductions in color of their work, and, for the most part, easily understood prose.I think I learned a lot.I know I learned that I like Picasso better than Matisse, whom I found to be basically cold and severe, too intellectual in his art.How he was personally this book does not say.You do get a little more sense of Picasso than Matisse.The book focuses on how these two artists played off each other's work almost all their artistic lives.And as such, it definitely succeeds.It was actually printed in conjunction with a major exhibition of these two, in Paris, London, and New York.A must for all art lovers. ... Read more

Product Description
Art/Architecture in Focus.The titles in this practical series of monographs are substantial paperbacks, exciting leisure reading, and usefull reference works all in one.They are not only far more informative than any museum brochure, but also help art lovers avoid any embarrassing lapses of memory in conversation.Peppered with numerous illustrations and texts that cover contemporary history, biographical information and artistic works, these mini art guides offer a compact overview of some ofthe most exceptional artists in history.Amazon.com Review
Pablo Picasso is indisputably one of the great artists of the20th century. This handsome volume is a fine introduction to alegendary figure and includes more than 60 plates of his masterpiecesas well as some lesser-known works. Find out where Picasso got hisinspiration and what role he played in the artistic revolution knownas cubism. You'll enjoy following the evolution of Picasso's art andwill marvel at his highly personal, expressionistic style. ... Read more

Product Description
Crisp close-ups of the everyday objects that Pablo Picasso transformed into sculpture offer a fresh look at the artist's work. With each page turn, the reader's imagination unfolds as the moon becomes a guitar and a dolphin becomes a bull. The boldly-colored spreads and spare text introduce readers to the creations of a master artist, and show them that what you see depends on how you look. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Review from www.firrkids.com
Picasso is easily one of the top ranked artists in the world today, as measured by the sale of his works. Another popularity measure - more of his paintings have been stolen than those by any other artist. Get your kids in on the Picasso fun (legally) with this fascinating book created at their level.

What is this? That's the question asked of the readers for five of Picasso's sculptures. The trick is, we are only shown a tiny piece of the puzzle, greatly enlarged for detail, which makes it difficult to identify. Use this limited view to encourage your children to visualize the possibilities. A bit more is revealed with the turn of each page, until we see the piece in its entirety, accompanied with the exclamation "Oooh! I am a ..." Just how close or wild were your guesses?

The effect of this presentation style is that we take a much closer look at each piece and are more likely to appreciate the details and composition. Viewing the sculptures as parts of a whole allows the readers to explore the works of a master artist by putting using their own imaginations to work. It's amazing what you can see when you want to. Even more amazing are the explanations that children will produce.

The simple text is brief, but poetic. I am water falling from on high. I am a tin moon hooked to the night sky. Awash in color, even the backgrounds are visually stimulating. The pages begin with bright yellow, deepening in hue to orange and then bright red to match the cover.

Overall, this is such a decidedly cool, unusual book. It serves as a wonderful introduction to Picasso for our children, and allows us all a closer look at some of his famous works.

Sculptures featured: Guitar, The Little Girl Jumping Rope, Baboon and Young, Guitar (a second one) and Bull's Head.
... Read more

Product Description
Picasso's "one-liners" constitute a small but delightfulcontribution to the artist's great body of drawings.His preeminenceas a draughtsman has long been recognized, but the unique nature ofhis one-liners has never been fully examined, or collected together ina single volume.Picasso's One-Liners, featuring 50 of the drawings,offers a fascinating look at this whimsical side of Picasso's work.

Defined simply, one-liners are drawings in which the artist's drawingimplement touches the paper and is not lifted until the drawing isfinished.Picasso worked this way in a variety of media, includingpencil, pen and ink, brush, even light crayon.His subjects includedharlequins, musicians, circus scenes, and animals.Each drawing isworth careful study, for by following the vibrant line closely, one'seyes take a wonderful roller-coaster ride.

Along with the one-liner drawings are similarly direct "one-liner"quotes taken from Picasso's writings, which provide further insightinto the artist's creative process.The introduction, by arthistorian Susan Grace Galassi, examines the special nature of thesegraphic tours-de-force and their place in his drawings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Amazon's False Advertising
I ordered this from Amazon two months before Christmas as a gift, and was told that it would arrive on time. Amazon later informed me that the book would not arrive until February. When February finally came, they sent an email to say that I would not be receiving the book at all because they could not find a copy of it anywhere.

Amazon is showing this item for sale but does NOT have it available -- don't waste your time ordering from here!

(By the way, the book is absolutely wonderful, as I have been fortunate enough to read through it before; I would give the book itself 5 stars but Amazon 1 star for false advertising. Hence, 4 stars.)

Picasso's lesser known drawings
This little book consists of Picasso's pen and ink drawings that he completed with one line (never picking the pen up off of the paper.Matadors, bulls and harlequins are among the subject matter of the drawings.There are occaional quotes interspersed throughout the book.This a cute little book that would make a fun gift for a Picasso fan.

Delightful!
This little book is a real joy, and it should have a wide appeal.Seeing what vital fun Picasso can have by putting his pen down on the paper for just one long line is a great way to enter into what drawing and art are all about.In my opinion, this book makes a great gift--though small, it is unlike many "coffee table books" people are always giving, in that the quantity of sheer fun on every page (also through Picasso's verbal one-liners) keeps beckoning you to open it up, the way you might put a favorite CD on the stereo.A great little book full of artistic delight! ... Read more

Product Description
This magnificent book focuses on Picasso`s early work-paintings influenced by the artist`s close allegiance with the Catalan modernista movement, art of his Blue and Rose periods, and the 1906 series of drawings and paintings he devoted to the male and female nude. The authors examine these compelling works from various points of view and place them in the context of Picasso`s life and the political and cultural currents of his times.Amazon.com Review
This collection of essays focuses on Pablo Picasso's formativeyears as an artist, specifically the period between 1892 and 1906when--between the ages of 11 and 24--he was developing and refiningthe style that would one day launch movements. The hundreds ofdrawings and plates vividly displayed here range from the familiar tothe obscure, allowing the reader to follow the artist's transformationfrom gifted youth to master of the form. Though the essays vary widelyin scope, all the contributors agree that the pieces created duringthis phase of Picasso's life stand on their own merits, rather thanexisting merely as studious footnotes to the painter's body ofwork. Launched from this perspective, the text celebrates thisless-celebrated period while moving in some unexpected directions:Picasso's reliance on his drawing education; his friends andinfluences; and the historical and political background of some of theplaces in which he lived and worked. In all, a fascinating study of the man andthe making of a legendary life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Blue and Rose Periods at there Best
I've never seen such a great collection of Picasso early figurative work, many of the images have never been published before. This books expands our view of Picasso and his early work. It is definitely the definitive book on Picasso's early year with professional critiques and outstanding images of his most sought after periods.
A must for lovers of 20th Century art. ... Read more

Product Description
Nearly a century after his arrival in the French capital as an unknown Spanish teenager, Paris still bears the mark of Pablo Picasso’s presence. Four walking tours through some of the city’s most picturesque andhistoric districtsfollow the painter from the gaslit garrets of fin-de-siècle Montmartre to the Left Bank quarter where he sat out the Nazi Occupation, and identify the sites where Picasso created some of his best-known masterpieces. With full-color reproductions of paintings, archival and modern photographs, vintage postcards, period dining recommendations, and maps.

From the garrets of turn-of-the-century Montmartre to the cafes of Saint-Germain during World War II follow Pablo Picasso through the city as he changed the history of art forever.Along the way, meet Gertrude Stein, Henri Matisse, Jean Cocteau, Coco Chanel, and others who made the French capital the most dazzling place to be. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

One fine book
If you are a fan of Picasso and his artist buddies and going to Paris, this is a fine book. Check out other titles from the same publisher, "The Little Bookroom," as well if going to Paris. They are equally fine. I own a number of them as well. They are all unique and in depth.

A topographical perspective
This book contains many Picasso photographs at various stages of his life in Paris (before he moved to Vallauris). Did you know this revolutionary artist spent a great part of his life in a very "typical" flat ofthe most "bourgeois" district of Paris (8th arrondissement)?Paintings are displayed both along a geographical and a chronologicalperspective which is a refreshing and appropriate approach for such a book.This guide is practical, full of facts. You will like it. ... Read more