Pablo Picasso (MoMA Artist Series) [Paperback]

Carolyn Lanchner (Author), Pablo Picasso (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2008

Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro and Andy Warhol each significantly shaped the development of art in the twentieth century. These Modern masters are the subjects of four small books, the first volumes in a series featuring important artists in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Each book presents a single artist and guides readers through a dozen of his most memorable achievements. Works are reproduced in color and accompanied by informative and accessible short essays that provide background on the artworks and on the artist himself, illuminating technique, style, subject matter and significance. Written by Carolyn Lanchner, former Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum, these books are excellent resources for readers interested in the stories behind masterpieces of the Modern canon and for those who wish to understand the contributions of individual artists to the history of Modern art. This volume focuses on Picasso.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–McNeese does a wonderful job of describing these men's lives and, more importantly, the times in which they lived. Like most biographies, the books follow their subjects from birth to death, filling in the names, dates, and faces along the way, but McNeese mainly discusses the men in terms of their art. However, because of the cultural influence of both Picasso and Dali, the author shows how they were both the products of the past and creators of the future. Throughout the texts, the artists cross paths with one another and with various other artists, writers, and political and cultural figures. Picasso includes representative pictures from each phase of the artist's career; Dali is woefully short on sample paintings. Nonetheless, both titles are expertly researched and concise introductions to two of the world's greatest artistic visionaries.–Steev Baker, Kewaskum Public Library, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

From Booklist

Reviewed with Andrea Bassil's Vincent van Gogh.

Gr. 4-8. Titles in the new Lives of the Artists series offer an attractive introduction to their subjects. In spreads that combine text and images in a format reminiscent of DK titles, the books combine chronological biographies with cultural history that introduces the artists' influences and contemporaries and also explains the major artistic movements of the times. Both titles are concise and straightforward, and there's no sensationalizing: Van Gogh's famous ear injury is only mentioned in a brief, matter-of-fact note. The interesting mix of photos and art is the biggest attraction. Picasso, for instance, includes remarkably accomplished sketches and paintings from the artist's childhood and adolescence; Van Gogh features one of the artist's famous letters to his brother in the artist's handwriting and illustrated with a beautiful sketch. Researchers will probably need to consult additional resources for reports, but these titles offer solid, intriguing overviews of the artists, their work, and their legacies. Back matter includes a glossary but no suggested reading. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: The Museum of Modern Art, New York (June 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087070723X
• ISBN-13: 978-0870707230
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #660,176 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Arts & Photography > Art > Museums & Collections
  • #94 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Arts & Photography > Art > Art History > Regional

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars developing a sense of art appreciation, December 31, 2010

By 

Stephen Pellerine (In a bookshelf somewhere) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pablo Picasso (Artists in Their Time) (Paperback)

This book on Picasso is well worth the money. It is not just a story here, but a reference book that you can read many ways. There are interesting boxes of information, samples of his work on every page, and text for the confident young reader. Although the text will challenge young readers the images will captivate them, so the book has many levels within it: visuals for the young, a challenge for the confident child, and loads of information for the supporting adult.

Would be great for school projects and developing a sense of art appreciation in a child.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good summary of Picasso's career, July 19, 2007

By 

Art history teacher (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pablo Picasso (Artists in Their Time) (Paperback)

This book was very helpful as I was preparing to present Picasso's art to elementary school children. It takes a long, prolific career, and organizes the different periods of Picasso's art so that it is more succinct. The wording is very understandable yet not condescending for older readers. This is a great series for adults, like myself, trying to help children understand why an artist was so great.