A BEAUTIFUL DRAWING BY PABLO PICASSO OF HIS ICONIC FAUN, APPENDED INTO THE CONSUMMATE VOLUME OF HIS LINOGRAVURES.
An original drawing by Pablo Picasso in black ink of a faun’s head, with an autograph inscription signed and dated by the artist to “Serguei, son ami Picasso le 4.5.57” (Sergey, his friend Picasso), on a leaf laid down on the endpaper. “Sergey” was the choreographer Serge Lifar (Sergey Mihailoovitch Lifar, 1904-1986) for whom Picasso designed costumes and sets.
This remarkable original pen and ink drawing has been loosely appended to the large and opulent First Edition of the consummate exploration of Picasso’s linogravures entitled:
Pablo Picasso: Linogravures
[Picasso, Pablo. (1881–1973)]. Picasso: Linogravures. Paris: Cercle d’art Paris. 1962. First Edition.
Collection of 45 linocuts by Pablo Picasso drawn in color on strong wove paper. Introduction of Wilhem Boeck, translated from German by Jacques Chavy. Hardcover folio, beige linen boards with red stamped lettering and illustration contained in hardshell of beige linen and color-illustrated paper slipcase with black lettering. Unpaginated, 14 pp plus 45 plates, mainly in color. Text in French.
Esteemed art historian Wilhem Boeck’s introduction discusses why Picasso started to make a book with linogravure techniques. Picasso had recently become adept at cut-linoleum printing, doubtless owing to his desire to give colour pride of place within printed creations. Taking up the gouge was less, for Picasso, about exploring a new realm of objects and forms than exposing the forms he had mastered to the rigors of as-yet untested technical possibilities. As he did every time he embarked on a new task, be it sculpture, lithography, ceramics or aquatints, the result obtained can be compared to nothing but previous creations by Picasso himself.
