Marilyn McCully

The Mediterranean coast of France and Catalonia witnessed the rise and development of modern art over a century, from Cézanne in the 1860s to Matisse, Picasso and Klein in the 1950s and 1960s. These artists and the many more featured here discovered an inexhaustible source of inspiration in this storied region, whose glittering, languid sea stretches out towards the far horizon beneath brilliant azure skies. Indelibly associated with the classical past, this magical land of eternal spring and spiritual renewal came to signify a state of mind, and avant-garde artists sought to convey the vitality and élan it inspired in them through new paradigms of modernist invention.

It is a widely held view that Picasso’s creative work received a fresh impetus with each new muse in his life. This volume does not discuss his biography or his stylistic phases, however, but pays tribute to the individual fates of the women who left their mark on the artist’s life. Personalities like Françoise Gilot and Dora Maar are among those whose entire life and creative work are acknowledged, not just the years they spent at Picasso’s side. The book sketches the life of ten women in the life of the Spanish artist. Picasso was close to his mother throughout her life and chose her maiden name as his artist’s name. When he wanted to marry the Russian ballerina Olga Khokhlova, she warned him that he would remain married to painting throughout his life. They separated in 1935; the reason was his young muse Marie-Thérèse Walter, who was also soon deposed by Dora Maar. Following various separations, women like the young artist Françoise Gilot also disappeared from Picasso’s canvases, but did not vanish entirely. This book pays tribute to them all. Presented women: Doña Maria Picasso y Lopez (Picasso’s mother), Maria Dolores Ruiz Picasso (Picasso’s sister), Gertrude Stein, Fernande Olivier, Eva Gouel (Marcelle Humbert), Olga Khokhlova, Marie-Thérèse Walter , Dora Maar, Françoise Gilot, Jaqueline Roque

The latest issue of the Cahiers d'Art revue is devoted to Pablo Picasso and the various techniques he employed, offering an exceptional, intimate look at the artist in his studio. Through rare and previously unpublished photographs by such photographers as Edward Quinn, Lucien Clergue, Lee Miller, and David Douglas Duncan, this issue of the renowned arts publication provides a captivating perspective on the concept of the artist at work. Through this rich and detailed exploration of the artist's practice and environments, the issue also sheds new light on the creative process as a whole.The revue is comprised of seven chapters, each devoted to a particular technique demonstrated in the photographs, alongside texts by noted historians such as Elizabeth Cowling, C cile Godefroy, Ann Hindry, Brigitte Leal, Marilyn McCully, and V rane Tasseau. Each chapter is followed by an interview with a contemporary artist, including Miquel Barcel , George Condo, Sheila Hicks, William Kentridge, Jeff Koons, Robert Longo, and Tatiana Trouv . They have been invited to comment on the technique under discussion, in Picasso's work and in their own, as well as on their connection to the artist.The revue also highlights Picasso's relationship with former Cahiers d'Art publisher Christian Zervos through the reproduction of key articles on Picasso published during the artist's lifetime.