Pablo Picasso Boldly Signed 1st Ed. French "Picasso" Photo-Essay

The first edition, October 1952 issue of a leading French arts and cultural magazine featuring a retrospective of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), boldly inscribed, signed, and dated by Picasso on the full title page as "pour Monsieur / R. Verheyen / Picasso / Vallauris le 11.1.54" [trans: "for Mr. / R. Verheyen / Picasso / Vallauris 1.11.54."] The "Picasso" issue was issue XLII of Pierre Braun, ed., "Le Point: Revue Artistique et Littéraire" [trans: "The Point: Artistic and Literary Review"](Souillac/Mulhouse: Imprimerie Pierre Braun et Cie., 1952), 56pp. With original blank beige front and back covers enclosed in stiff enveloping green wrappers. The inner pages are slightly toned but clean. Isolated minor foxing to the endpapers and text block. Isolated minor chipping to the headbands and wrapper edges, else near fine and in remarkable condition. 7.75" x 10.25" x .375."

This wonderful photo-essay combines text in French and photographs to provide an overview of Picasso's personal and professional life. It features eight articles by Maurice Raynal, Tristan Tzara, Claude Roy, and other contributors; and is also profusely illustrated with 19 photogravures of images, some double-page, taken at Picasso's studio at Vallauris in September 1952 by Robert Doisneau, including the now iconic photograph, "Picasso with bread hands" ("À Vallauris Les Petits Pains se nomment des Picasso"), p. 38. Other featured images were published by permission of D.H. Kahnweiler and the Galerie Louise Leiris. The issue includes many candid and charming photos of Picasso in his studio and art warehouse space, showing the pottery, tableware, and canvases he was then working on. Other illustrations reproduce famous Picasso artworks; sheet music; and facsimile handwriting examples, for a complete profile of the artist and his cultural influences.

"Le Point: Revue Artistique et Littéraire," a French literary and artistic bimonthly magazine, was founded by Pierre Betz in 1936 and released 59 profiles/analyses of famous artists, writers, artistic styles, music, and architectural landmarks before its closure in 1962. The magazine was financed by subscription. Besides the "Picasso" issue, biographical vignettes of Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse, and le Corbusier were published.

Picasso lived in Vallauris, in southeastern France, between 1948-1955, and while there, the artist worked energetically in multiple media, including painting, printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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