Pablo Picasso La Célestine 1971 The complete bound volume with 66 etchings and five additional drawings in ink, on Richard-de-Bas laid paper watermark La Celestine, with full margins, with text by Fernando de Rojas, slip case 8 7/8 x 7 5/16 x 1 3/4 in. (22.5 x 18.6 x 4.4 cm) book 8 5/8 x 7 x 1 5/8 in. (21.9 x 17.8 x 4.1 cm) three of the drawings signed, dated `le 14.11.72' and inscribed `pour Bill et Bente' in black ink on the slipcover (with a drawing), the book cover (with a drawing) and on the title page (with a drawing and also inscribed `leur ami Picasso'), and two unsigned drawings on the blank front pages, signed in pencil on the justification, typeset 'William E. Hartmann' (one of 18 examples with the name of specific people aside from the edition of 350 and 30 hors commerce in Roman numerals), printed and published by Éditions de l'Atelier Crommelynck, Paris, contained in original slipcover with Richard-de-bas laid paper and parchment with lettering on the spine, book cover with parchment boards and lettering on the front, within parchment-covered slipcase.
Provenance Gift of the artist to the present owner Literature Patrick Cramer books 149 (contact department for listing of Brigitte Baer and Georges Bloch catalogue raisonné numbers) Catalogue Essay La Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea, known by the title La Celestina, is a dramatized novel in 21 acts, attributed to Fernando de Rojas, who published it in Burgos, Spain in 1499. Because of its lovely prose dialogue, its well-developed characters, and its striking description of the mores of Spain at the time of the Catholic kings - that is during the transition period between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance - La Celestina is one of the major works in Spanish literature.The etchings done for La Célestine are part of the famous 347 Series. Between March 16 and October 5, 1968, Picasso worked on the plates almost daily, using various techniques and sometimes the same plate. The etchings represent the lover and his paramour - often in the company of the intermediary, who is depicted as a little old woman; she makes her first appearance in the series on May 14, in scenes of erotic contemplation and nocturnal abductions. Picasso did not want the text to be printed on the verso of the leaves with etchings - hence the arrangement of the pages is unusual: uncut double leaves with one etching and one page of text alternate with single leaves with two text pages. Patrick Cramer, Pablo Picasso The Illustrated Books, 1983, p. 360. Read More Artist Bio Pablo Picasso Spanish • 1881 - 1973 Regarded as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, Pablo Picasso is known for his pioneering involvement in the development of Modernism and co-founding of the Cubist movement. He tirelessly investigated forms of expression with his pictorial vocabulary ranging from vivid naturalism to distorted abstraction, and his prolific output included painting, prints, drawings, ceramics and theatre sets. Endlessly curious, Picasso continually sought innovative creative avenues, experimenting with age-old printmaking processes (etching, lithography, linocut), each of which offered a distinct expressive opportunity of line, tone and mark-making. These graphic techniques, combined with Picasso's idiosyncratic motifs — mythological creatures, Spanish bullfighting scenes and portraits of lovers — resulted in an unparalleled body of printed works that could range from the spontaneously lyrical to the allegorically complex. View More Works
Pablo Picasso La Célestine 1971 The complete bound volume with 66 etchings and five additional drawings in ink, on Richard-de-Bas laid paper watermark La Celestine, with full margins, with text by Fernando de Rojas, slip case 8 7/8 x 7 5/16 x 1 3/4 in. (22.5 x 18.6 x 4.4 cm) book 8 5/8 x 7 x 1 5/8 in. (21.9 x 17.8 x 4.1 cm) three of the drawings signed, dated `le 14.11.72' and inscribed `pour Bill et Bente' in black ink on the slipcover (with a drawing), the book cover (with a drawing) and on the title page (with a drawing and also inscribed `leur ami Picasso'), and two unsigned drawings on the blank front pages, signed in pencil on the justification, typeset 'William E. Hartmann' (one of 18 examples with the name of specific people aside from the edition of 350 and 30 hors commerce in Roman numerals), printed and published by Éditions de l'Atelier Crommelynck, Paris, contained in original slipcover with Richard-de-bas laid paper and parchment with lettering on the spine, book cover with parchment boards and lettering on the front, within parchment-covered slipcase.
Provenance Gift of the artist to the present owner Literature Patrick Cramer books 149 (contact department for listing of Brigitte Baer and Georges Bloch catalogue raisonné numbers) Catalogue Essay La Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea, known by the title La Celestina, is a dramatized novel in 21 acts, attributed to Fernando de Rojas, who published it in Burgos, Spain in 1499. Because of its lovely prose dialogue, its well-developed characters, and its striking description of the mores of Spain at the time of the Catholic kings - that is during the transition period between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance - La Celestina is one of the major works in Spanish literature.The etchings done for La Célestine are part of the famous 347 Series. Between March 16 and October 5, 1968, Picasso worked on the plates almost daily, using various techniques and sometimes the same plate. The etchings represent the lover and his paramour - often in the company of the intermediary, who is depicted as a little old woman; she makes her first appearance in the series on May 14, in scenes of erotic contemplation and nocturnal abductions. Picasso did not want the text to be printed on the verso of the leaves with etchings - hence the arrangement of the pages is unusual: uncut double leaves with one etching and one page of text alternate with single leaves with two text pages. Patrick Cramer, Pablo Picasso The Illustrated Books, 1983, p. 360. Read More Artist Bio Pablo Picasso Spanish • 1881 - 1973 Regarded as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, Pablo Picasso is known for his pioneering involvement in the development of Modernism and co-founding of the Cubist movement. He tirelessly investigated forms of expression with his pictorial vocabulary ranging from vivid naturalism to distorted abstraction, and his prolific output included painting, prints, drawings, ceramics and theatre sets. Endlessly curious, Picasso continually sought innovative creative avenues, experimenting with age-old printmaking processes (etching, lithography, linocut), each of which offered a distinct expressive opportunity of line, tone and mark-making. These graphic techniques, combined with Picasso's idiosyncratic motifs — mythological creatures, Spanish bullfighting scenes and portraits of lovers — resulted in an unparalleled body of printed works that could range from the spontaneously lyrical to the allegorically complex. View More Works
.jpg?w=400 "Source: Christie's")
.jpg?w=400 "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg?w=400 "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg?w=400 "Source: Christie's")
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
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