List Price: $30.00
Save: $10.61 (35%)

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Only 7 left in stock (more on the way).

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Ship to:

Select a shipping address:

Buy Used

$14.86

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Used: Good | Details

Sold by BigHeartedBooks

Fulfilled by Amazon

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Other Sellers on Amazon

Add to Cart

$17.47
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: BRILANTI BOOKS

Add to Cart

$19.64
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: SuperBookDeals---

Add to Cart

$19.78
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: allnewbooks

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 3 images

A Life of Picasso: The Prodigy, 1881-1906 Paperback – Deckle Edge, October 16, 2007

by John Richardson (Author)

15 customer reviews

See all 9 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Hardcover

"Please retry"

—

$114.84

$136.99

Paperback, Deckle Edge

"Please retry"

$19.39

$15.30

$10.56

Unknown Binding

"Please retry"

—

$86.76

$62.13

As he magnificently combines meticulous scholarship with irresistible narrative appeal, Richardson draws on his close friendship with Picasso, his own diaries, the collaboration of Picasso's widow Jacqueline, and unprecedented access to Picasso's studio and papers to arrive at a profound understanding of the artist and his work. 800 photos.

A Life of Picasso: The Prodigy, 1881-1906 [Deckle Edge]

$19.39 FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Only 7 left in stock (more on the way). Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Frequently bought together

Total price: $55.45

These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers. Show details

Buy the selected items together

This item:A Life of Picasso: The Prodigy, 1881-1906 by John Richardson Paperback $19.39
Only 7 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
A Life of Picasso: The Cubist Rebel, 1907-1916 by John Richardson Paperback $17.68
In stock.
Ships from and sold by BRILANTI BOOKS.
$3.99 shipping
A Life of Picasso: The Triumphant Years, 1917-1932 by John Richardson Paperback $18.38
Only 4 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

John Richardson

12

Paperback
$17.68
John Richardson

23

Paperback
$18.38
John Richardson

23

Hardcover
$17.00
John Richardson

8

Hardcover
62 offers from $2.25
Patrick O'Brian

16

Paperback
$20.28
Steven Naifeh

314

Paperback
$13.61

Special offers and product promotions

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Richardson, it hardly needs repeating, is steeped in Picasso and his life (his own friendship with Picasso is the tacit bedrock of this biography) but the arguments he makes are always precise and cogent, never blithely assertive." -- William Boyd The Spectator --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

John Richardson is the author of a memoir, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice; an essay collection, Sacred Monsters, Sacred Masters; and books on Manet and Braque. He has written for The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair. He was instrumental in setting up Christie’s in the United States. In 1993 he was made a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy. In 1995–96 he served as the Slade Professor of Fine Art at Oxford University. He divides his time between Connecticut and New York City.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product details

Paperback: 560 pages
Publisher: Knopf; Reprint edition (October 16, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 037571149X
ISBN-13: 978-0375711497
Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 1.4 x 9.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 15 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #386,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #240 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > Europe > France
- #743 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Artists, Architects & Photographers
- #2338 in Books > Arts & Photography > Individual Artists

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE

Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars

5 star		87%
4 star		7%
3 star		0%
2 star		0%
1 star		6%

Write a customer review

See all verified purchase reviews

Rated by customers interested in

What's this?

History

4.1 out of 5 stars

Is this feature helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

Top customer reviews

Outstanding Biography of an Artistic Genius

ByKitschedon December 14, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This first volume of a series of three chronological biographies is extraordinary. Richardson presents a thorough history and analysis of Picasso's life and his artistic development. This book is illustrated throughout with black and white photos on nearly every page. Included are photos of Picasso's family and his contemporaries, as well as photos of his work. Also included are pictures of art which may have influenced Picasso's work. Although the illustrations are black and white (I suspect color would make the book cost prohibitive) they give the reader a very clear understanding of how the artist developed. There is much about Picasso that is the "stuff of legends", and Richardson tries to present an objective, factual biography. The author seamlessly weaves biographical, historic information, with an artistic analysis of Picasso's early work. Despite the tendency for normal mortals to be awestruck and dazzled by Picasso's rapid, mercurial development during his early years, Richardson keeps a clear head and analyses Picasso's work in an objective manner. The author understands his subject and his art work. This is really a remarkable biography. I look forward to reading the second and third volumes. (I considered purchasing this on Kindle and am glad I purchased the actual book as there are illustrations on nearly every page. That sometimes does not translate so well on the Kindle.)

0Comment 6 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A Study in Greatness

ByElio Lopezon January 30, 2010

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This first part to three part series Mr. Richardson has written on Picasso is a preview of the greatness of the volumes to come. Mr. Richardson has a flair for bringing to life the times and events that led to the greatest revolution in the art world that has yet to be matched to this day. Mr. Richardson's prose is very well written and brings to life the world at that time, (1881-1906). The book ends just at the eve of 1907 and Picasso standing at the brink of revolutionizing the whole of the entire Western Art world. The research is exhaustive and very well documented. The author shatters many myths and inaccuracies previously put forth by the artist, (Mr. Richardson was a personal friend and confidant), and previous biographers. What emerges is a very detailed analysis of this great artist and the events and links that led to what we call art today. If I have one negative criticism of Mr. Richardson's writing is that he, at times, will lapse into a phrase in either French or German that is not translated for the reader. However, in today's world this is a small issue with translators on the internet easily available. And to be fair, the instances of such are not the norm, but the exception. I highly recommend this and the two following books which I own. I, for one, eagerly await the fourth and perhaps final volume in the series. If you like Picasso, or you're just a student of art, do yourself a favor and buy this book.

0Comment 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

The definitive Picasso biography

ByReich Claudeon May 10, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The first volume of John Richardson's monumental Life of Picasso (so far, three volumes have been published), this book is a thoroughly documented and elegantly written account of Picasso's early years in Malaga, Barcelona and Paris (up to 1907 and the inception of his masterpiece "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon"). Following a strictly chronological pattern, the text is accompanied by numerous illustrations (all in black and white) of every single work quoted by the author (whether or not by Picasso; there are even small portraits by Picasso's mistress Fernande Olivier, who appears to have been more than a merely talented artist). A must-read and an unsurpassed biography of the Spanish master, as Richardson (himself a friend of Picasso's) had first-hand access to a trove of unpublished documents and a privileged relationship with Picasso's heirs.

11 comment 7 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Love it and reread it.

ByRicardo Mena Cuevason February 7, 2012

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Like "Finnegans Wake,"
I love to read this book to the end,
only to start again and again.

You have jokes, knowledge, smiles,
humour, tragedy, lots and tons of
records and documents and photographs
and pictures and Richardson's love for his
subject.

A book to burn only in case you want to buy another
one new just for the sake of doing a sacred hecatomb
in honor of this sage of the temple of Apollo.

0Comment 6 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Most recent customer reviews

Five Stars

Brilliant!!!

Published 8 days ago by js

Five Stars

Haven't started reading yet but am sure is awesome looking forward to reading others in this series on Picasso.

Published 5 months ago by P

Wow is all I can say. This book takes ...

Wow is all I can say. This book takes you deep into the life of young Picasso. I was fascinated by all the information gathered by Richardson, definitely a resourceful tool for my...Read more

Published on April 27, 2015 by Gustavo borrego

One Star

picasso would not be proud of this book, he told me so

Published on January 1, 2015 by DR T

Outstanding biography

One of a handful of outstanding artist biographies. Another is the Hilary Spurling's biography of Matisse.
It has much to recommend it.Read more

Published on August 15, 2014 by Steven Muir

What a guy!

Chicago recently had an exhibit of his work...mostly stuff the Art Institute already owns. I was hoping to see more of his early works which were wonderful, but very different...Read more

Published on July 26, 2013 by Coreen Borisy

Good

This item was just as it was described in the posting and I was very happy with the quality. Thanks!

Published on December 29, 2012 by Andrew Collier

A Good Introduction to Picasso

This book represents my first true exposure to the life of Picasso (birth to 1906, that is). I went to the Picasso Museum in Barcelona two years ago, and even though the art is...Read more

Published on December 21, 2012 by Christopher Alexander

A Fan Explains His Hero

Where does genius come from? What are the motives? What are the stars that guide?

Picasso was arguably the most original and influential artist of the 20th century.Read more

Published on March 3, 2008 by Donald Mitchell

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway

This item: A Life of Picasso: The Prodigy, 1881-1906

Set up a giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

John Richardson

18

Paperback
46 offers from $5.39
Patrick O'Brian

16

Paperback
$20.28
John Richardson

23

Paperback
$18.38
John Richardson

12

Paperback
$17.68
John Berger

4

Paperback
$15.98
Philippe Dagen

19

Hardcover
$105.21

Pages with related products. See and discover other items: photographer biography

Buy New $19.39

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

or

or

Buy Used $14.86

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Other Sellers on Amazon

A Life of Picasso: The Prodigy, 1881-1906 Paperback – Deckle Edge, October 16, 2007

Frequently bought together

Customers who bought this item also bought

Special offers and product promotions

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Customer reviews

Top customer reviews

Most recent customer reviews

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Buy New

$19.39

Buy Used

$14.86