Almine Rech is delighted to present a series of etchings part of the prodigious output of 347 prints completed by Pablo Picasso between March 16 and October 5, 1968.
Printmaking played an important role in Picasso's art after 1963. Although he had made many etchings before, notably those known as the 'Vollard Suite,’ he had never worked so intensively on a print project. In 1968, he produced a handful of drawings and paintings; however, he turned his gaze almost entirely in the direction of etchings. A period that is yet again akin to a true passion.
The master printers Aldo and Piero Crommelynck (1934–2001) printed the series at their studio in Mougins, south of France. Never exhibited before, these engravings have remained in the hands of Picasso's printmaker, Crommelynck Estate, to this day, which gives it a pristine provenance.
While the greatest names in the history of art practiced and excelled in this field, Picasso and Rembrandt are recognised as the most important Painter-Printmakers along with Goya and Whistler.
From this series, Almine Rech highlights a unique collection of large-scale etchings that have never been shown to the public until today. Two of the works are unique etchings marked 'Bon à Tirer’ and signed by the artist. The etchings have been specifically framed for the occasion of TEFAF New York taking place in Fall 2019.
As noted in his oeuvre, Picasso explores the symbolic relationship between the model and the artist and examines the female nude. The works titled by Brigitte Baer, Gamin se Glissant dans un Hammam, un Jour Réservé aux Femmes (1968 - Bon à Tirer - Baer 1683), Vénus et l’Amour, dans le Style du XVIème Siècle (1968 - Baer 1655) and Vénus et l’Amour, dans le Style ‘Bon Sauvage’ (1968 - Bon à Tirer - Baer 1656), are self-portraits of the artist as a young boy who appears on the left hand side of the etchings. They are prime examples of the artist’s fascination for voluptuous bodies.
Picasso's works will be displayed together with rare pieces by Jean-Michel Frank presented by Galerie Anne-Sophie Duval in Booth B203.
Almine Rech represents these artists: