From Library Journal
The Picasso Project, with the approval of the Picasso estate, is producing a chronological black-and-white photographic catalog of the artist's works. Directed by Picasso scholar Chipp until his recent death, the project promises to consolidate and authenticate all the paintings, watercolors, drawings, and sculpture produced from 1885 to 1973 in a gradually released series. Being made available in 1995 and 1996, the first nine volumes trace the period on which the least has been published: Picasso's post-Cubist years from 1917 to 1949. Until now the catalog used most frequently has been the one Christian Zervos began in the 1930s. While this catalog added supplements to its original core as new works by Picasso were documented, the Picasso Project benefits from its chronological arrangement; grouping the works together allows the variation, sequence, and development to be seen. The groupings also show how Picasso drew from life, his imagination, and the works of other artists ranging from Ingres to Matisse to Dufy. Each book contains a short but informative chronology of Picasso's life referring to the illustrations that follow. While the chronology reduces Picasso to human scale, the black-and-white illustrations, which make up the bulk of each book, show his monumental powers. Large enough for identification and easy to thumb through, the photographs are placed three or four to a page and are all approximately the same size. Each entry includes the work's title in English and French, the dimensions, the Zervos catalog number, the Musee Picasso number, and/or the abbreviation for works cited in the bibliography, which include literary references. The catalog numbers for each illustration are easily followed, and the running heads provide location and season (e.g., "Paris, Winter, 1920"). Exact dates and provenance are not always recorded, but after Spring 1928, the dates appear more regularly. Additionally, the books include a concordance to Zervos and Musee Picasso. For a catalogue raisonee of the graphic works, one would need to consult George Bloch and, for the ceramics, Alain Ramie. Joseph Palau i Fabre's partly color catalog covers the early years from 1881 to 1907. (These books are also published by Alan Wofsy.) For their authenticity, organization, and completeness, the Picasso Project catalogs will be invaluable to collectors, students, curators, and researchers on Picasso and 20th-century art and should be made available in art schools, comprehensive collections, and special art book libraries. The next five volumes, covering 1930-49, will be released in the coming months.
Ellen Bates, New York
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Ellen Bates, New York
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
