Book Description
Simon Packard didn't always want to do his artist report on Pablo Picasso, but after his twin brother Stephen does a report on Monet-Simon's favorite artist-Simon chooses Picasso by default! Throughout, there are reproductions of Pablo Picasso's masterpieces as well as Simon's own drawings, and wonderful nuggets of info that will appeal to kids. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Making art fun for children
This book is great for an adult trying to understand Picasso's art from a child's perspective.It does not try to be esoteric but instead keeps things simple which was helpful to me as I prepared for a discussion on Picasso with elementary school students.

Interesting facts but some inappropriate content for childre
This book was a great resource - I had to do an Exploring Arts project on Picasso for both a 3rd grade class and a 1st grade class.I was able to read this book to the 3rd grade class with omitting 4 - 5 pages, but it was definitely not appropriate for 1st graders.During the blue period section, it says that Picasso was depressed because his best friend committed suicide and that Picasso had used (and I quote) "tramps and drunks" as his subjects!It also has a few too many visuals that are better left to older eyes.That being said, it did have some great facts that I hadn't seen anywhere else and the Children REALLY liked this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

good summary of Picasso's career
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. ... Read more

Book Description
Presents a biography of Picasso ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Picasso Rocks
This author's approach makes artists interesting for ages 8-80.A combination of comic strip style illustrations and copies of the artists work is entertaining and informative.This book makes cubism comprehensible.The series of books is an obvious "must" for art teachers (3rd-12th gr) but kids will enjoy it as part of a classroom library or in a personal collection as well.If you have a kid who likes to draw but hates to read, introduce him/her to this author's series.

This book is about...
This book was about a painter.The book is non-fiction. Picasso was in his teens when he started painting.He painted lots of famous pictures.One of his paintings was 12 feet high and 25 feet wide.He painted it because he was mad about people dying in the civil war in Spain.He likes to move noses and body parts around in his paintings.I liked learning about Picasso.

A huge hit with grades K-3
I use this whole series in my elementary art class - and my students absolutely love it. Venezia highlights what is interesting to K-3 students while avoiding aspects of artists' lives that may not be appropriate for a young audience. Students love the cartoons Venezia includes along with the color images of the artist's work.

Tells the story of Picasso's life
It was a very readable historical biography of Picasso's life and the evolution of his painting styles.

A great way to introduce your child to modern art!
Mike Venezia shows paintings from Picasso's various "periods"and explains them in terms a child can understand.("...Picasso feltalone and sad.") He compares the realistic portraits of Picasso'syouth to the cubist portraits of his later career, asking the childquestions and providing terminology to help him appreciate the difference.("The man...looks like he's been broken up into little cubes....Canyou see the man's face...hands...cat?)

Venezia's humorous cartooncomments highlight the controversies that surrounded Picasso's work andgive the adult reader a chuckle, too.

After reading the book with him,my six-year-old grandson had fun trying to imitate, with his own body, themovement that Picasso was trying to portray with his "displaced"body parts. ... Read more

Book Description
Here is the fascinating story -- based on true fact -- of a world-famous artist and a little girl who became one of his models. Sylvette first met Picasso in 1954, when she was a girl in the southern French town of Vallauris. At that time, she was the shyest and dreamiest girl among her friends, though today, she is a respected artist in her own right. When Picasso set up his studio in a nearby house, he spotted young Sylvette and was taken immediately by her classical profile and her lovely ponytail. When at last he convinced her to pose for what became the first of more than forty works of art, the two gradually became good friends. Before long, Picasso's portraits of Sylvette became famous around the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Lovely story and intro. to the artist
My 4-year old daughter and I love all of the books in this series.The illustrations and reproductions of Picasso's work are lovely. I like to be able to introduce her to artists, and these books, unlike most others, have a story. It is about a 15 minute read aloud, not too long for one on one. Very enjoyable.

Interesting, but some deep subject matter
While this is a beautifully illustrated book, looking to be ment for children, there are some awefully deep emotional parts in it that I skip over when reading to my 4 year old. It is a longer picture book and geared towards 2-4th graders. It's interesting and tells a lot about Picasso and his works, but could do without his subject's tormented and emotionally disturbing past.

NOT for a PreK classroom!
There are an average of 100 words on each page.

Picasso book review
Nicely illustrated, as expected however, not as exciting as Camille and the Sunflowers: A story about VanGogh. Character development should have been 5 stars. My kids liked it.

Cute for kids and adults
I would definitely recommend this book and others from the author for introducing art and artists in a fun, low pressure way.I couldn't wait to get to the end of this one to see how it turned out. ... Read more

Book Description
Picasso was an extremely prolific artist, and there remain many little-known, rarely seen works that have been held in private collections. In the fall of 2001, Milans Palazzo Reale presents an exhibition of many of these works, which are also featured in this spectacular oversized art book. It is alive with splashes of brilliant color and is a distinguished addition to any art bookshelf, featuring 300 illustrations that cover oil paintings, aquatints, prints, sculpture, and terracottas, as well as textiles such as the Ballet Russe costumes Picasso created for Diaghilev. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Picasso: 200 Masterpieces from 1898 to 1972
Nice hardcover book with many color and black & white reproductions of the history of Picasso's work. ... Read more

Book Description

The long-awaited third volume of John Richardson’s definitive biography of Pablo Picasso combines the critical astuteness, exhaustive research, and stunning narrative that made the first two volumes an art-historical breakthrough as well as a pleasure to read.

The Triumphant Years takes up the artist’s life in 1917, when Picasso and Cocteau left wartime Paris for Rome to work with Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes on their revolutionary production of Parade. Visits to Naples, above all to the Farnese marbles in the Museo Nazionale, would leave Picasso with a lifelong obsession with classical sculpture as well as the self-referential commedia dell’arte. After returning to Paris and marrying one of Diaghilev’s ballerinas, Olga Khokhlova, he abandoned bohemia for the drawing rooms of Paris. Hence, his so-called Duchess period, which coincided with his switch to neoclassicism, and would ultimately be absorbed into a metamorphic form of cubism.

In the summer of 1923, Picasso and his American friends Gerald and Sara Murphy transformed the French Riviera from a winter into a summer resort, when they persuaded the proprietor of the Hôtel du Cap at Antibes to keep the place open for the summer. In doing so, they made the Riviera Europe’s major playground. Mediterraneanism was in Picasso’s bones. Born in Málaga, he would always identify with this inland sea.

In 1927 the artist’s life underwent a major change; he abandoned society for a life out of the spotlight with a beautiful seventeen-year-old girl, Marie-Thérèse Walter. His erotic obsession with Marie-Thérèse would result in an ever-growing antipathy for his neurasthenic, understandably jealous wife. Balletic clues have enabled Richardson to identify a number of baffling figure-paintings as portrayals of Olga and reinterpret the work of the late 1920s and early 1930s. Picasso’s passionate love for his mistress and his passionate hatred for his wife can be fully understood only in light of each other.

The last three chapters constitute an annus mirabilis—spring 1931 to spring 1932—during which the artist celebrated his fiftieth birthday. Challenged to scale new heights by the passage of time, Picasso lived up to his shamanic belief that painting should have a magic function. In the course of this year, he reinvented sculpture and to a great extent his own imagery in a bid to Picassify the classical tradition. The resultant retrospective in Paris and Zurich in the summer of 1932 confirmed Picasso as the leader of the modern movement.

Customer Reviews (9)

Picasso Part 3
I love Picasso and to read about him as a regular guy living his life is very revealing in that he is human as well as a protean god of Art.Loved this book as it continues the story along.The only real criticism I have of J. Richardson is that it seems he's in a rush.Quite a difference from the slow but sure tone of the first two books.It seems for some reason that he went in and took out a lot of stuff some stupid editor told him was too much for any one to care about.Wrong.I sure hope he finishes the proposed 7 volume series but for as long as it is taking him to write it, well, I will keep my fingers crossed because he writes in a honest way the story of one man who changed the world.

Kudos to Richardson
Mr. Richardson has out done himself on his Picasso opus. He displays Picasso in the light of his work and his influences without fluff and sensation. The book is a pleasant and interesting read sans the dry, academic, and often inaccurate writing of other books on Picasso. He also down plays the sensationalism producing a sensative and revealing portrait of the greatest artist of the twentieth century. As an artist myself, (www.arteespanol.us), I found this book extremely informative, useful, and entertaining. I highly recommend this, and Mr. Richardson's previous books on Picasso to art lovers and lay people alike.

Third Volume of John Richardson's A life of Picasso: The Triumph Years, 1917-1932
John Richardson's long awaited third of four volumes of "A Life of Picasso" does not disappoint.The writing is insightful due to the author's personal relationship and knowledge of the artist.The first two works provided more than simply a lesson in art history, rather, an encompassing view of the life and times of the man and his culture.This most recent work continues the saga in the same well written manner.

Valuable Insights into Picasso's Sources and Methods
If you think you know Picasso's work, this book will convince you otherwise. John Richardson has done a tremendous service by sorting out when Picasso produced his greatest works between 1917 and 1932, what sources he "borrowed" from, what he was trying to accomplish, and how all of these works affected his career.This book was quite a revelation to me.Simply by seeing a lot of his work (as you can do at Musee Picasso, for example), you quickly realize that Picasso constantly copied himself.And, of course, it is well known that he borrowed much while trying to establish a style and while working with Braque to develop cubism.But Picasso borrowed early and often in ways I didn't realize.In that sense, he was a supreme stylist who could execute someone else's idea in a more profound way.I came away with a new appreciation for that aspect of his talent.

While Picasso was alive, very little was said in books about his mistreatment of women and the motives behind his paintings of his wives and lovers.While his second life was alive, people were still pretty circumspect on this point.But now we know that Picasso was louse when it came to women and his family.This book gives you the full story of his first marriage, relationship with his young mistress who inspired so many joyous works, Marie-Therese Walter, and his constant attraction to prostitutes.

There are some other surprises in this book including how central his work with ballet was in creating interest in his paintings and sculptures.It was through Diaghilev that Picasso met his first wife, Olga Khokhlova, a ballerina in the Ballets Russes.Picasso decided it was time to settle down and marry.Despite having had long relationships with women before, he now was looking for someone who would help make him respectable.In the process, Picasso adopted the lifestyle of one of the first wealthy artists (famously being driven around in one of the world's most expensive cars by a chauffeur in the middle of the world-wide economic depression).

As good as John Richardson is on those subjects, he can be most annoying in other ways.For example, Mr. Richardson seems to have an obsession with Jean Cocteau and writes a lot about him even though Picasso didn't like Cocteau very much and Cocteau didn't influence Picasso very much either.Mr. Richardson also has a writing style that can be enormously elusive, describing what happened without saying anything.Picasso's wife seems to have had a lot of physical and mental problems but these are mentioned without providing much real information other than when they occurred.A greater problem comes in that Mr. Richardson likes to drop in lots of French phrases (I read French so I had no problem), but if you don't read French it makes the text harder to follow.Some will also find some of Mr. Richardson's put downs of those who disagree with as being rude and high handed.Perhaps the most annoying problem comes in using academic words to describe distasteful aspects of Picasso's personality and behavior.It's like putting lipstick on a pig.

But I advise you to read the book while being prepared for its weaknesses.I'm afraid there is no substitute.The generously represented art makes up for the weaknesses.

the best of the series yet
This a wonderful book portraying an incredible time of Picassos life andalso of the other great artists of that time period with whom he was sharing this spectacular period of creativitywith.

John Richardson has outdone himself and thisbook is a must for all art lovers!!! ... Read more

Book Description
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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A life of Picasso vol 1
Great work, done by a real scholar, beautifully written, as fascinating as a novel. Keeps away from myths and tales, impressively documented, meticulously illustrated (too bad it is not in color).

John Richardson's Magisterial Biography of Painter-Genius Picasso begins in Malaga in 1881
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was born to a mediocre painter and his good wife Maria on October 25, 1881.His family was poor but well connected. One uncle was a priest; another a prominent medical doctor. Picasso's father was easygoing eking out a living as an art teacher. When Pablo was a boy the family moved to Barcelona where his father taught in an art school. His mother was beloved of Pablo who had her tenacity of character and eager desire to learn. His younger sister Conchita died in childhood and he was close to his remaining sister throughout their long lives.
Pablo loved to paint from birth! He did not like formal schooling. He did attend the art school in Madrid but grew bored and left. As a teen he was wild and enjoyed chasing girls and hanging around with his bohemian chums.In these early years Pablo developed his routine throughout life: hard work, lots of sex (often in brothels!and smoking. Picasso drank very little and never had an alcohol problem.
As a young man he made three trips to Paris finally staying for good in the City of Lights on his fourth trip. He became friendly with several artists and writers most notablly the poet Apollinaire. His first true love was Olive Ferdinand a fetching Parisian who was also a minor painter.
Picasso had countless mistresses.
During these early years he went through his "Blue Period" in which he portrayed tragic and erotic figures in gloomy and sad modes. He later entered the "Rose Period" of colorful harlequins, clowns and street folks. He also enjoyed sculpture. His work began to sell.
Instrumental in his success were the dealers he relied upon to majrkethis avant garde art. Among the influential people who bought his paintings were the American expatriots Leo and Gertrude Stein. Picasso was popular with Russian buyers. He preferred private sales rather than exhibiting his art alongside other salon artists. It was during these years he produced such masterpieces as "La Vie" "Old Man with a Guitar" and several works portraying androgynous bathers. As the book ends he is on the verge of moving into cubism along with fellow painter Braque.
Richardson does a good job of keeping his text balanced between sapient art assessments and Picasso's personal life. The crammed text is filled with such characters as the Steins, Matisse and the fetching Olive
Ferdinand. We see how Picasso was influenced by such masters from the past as: Ingres, Cezanne, Velasquez and El Greco. Richardson is insistent that we see Picasso as a Spanish artist heavily influenced by his Andalusian roots and the luminaries of Spanish art.
The book is well illustrated with hundreds of black and white photos of Picasso's works and snapshots taken of Picasso and friends. Richardson knew Picasso in his old age and is a brilliant critic of his work.
What kind of man was Picasso? He once told an interviewer "Truth is false!" In other words he was a paradox. He could be kind or cruel. He could abuse lovers forcing them into unnatural sex acts or he could be a gentle lover. He loved and hated Spain. He was apolitical at this early juncture of his career. Picasso hated pretense and liked common people.
He is complex and unique in art history as a protean master of many different types of art. This is the best biography ever written of Picasso and is the first of the four volumes to be published on a 2oth century art icon. Essential. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Picasso- Creator and Destroyer
Fine reading;the best biographical work on Picasso. Fair review of his multi-facetted life and personality. A portraitwritten with great psychological depth, flair, knowledge of the arts and fascinating insights and comments from those who knew him.
Ariana Stassinopoulos' balancedstory of both his weaknesses and strengths is a ''must read''.

Bad Man Great Artist?
"Picasso" by Arianna Huffington is a very thorough book that can probably be skipped, except possibly by those with an intense interest in Picasso's personal life. For the rest of us it is sufficient to know that Picasso had no friends or family, just groupies (many of whom were family) throughout his life, and, to a person, he treated them despicably. For example, he usually had several women at a time who each worshiped him. He would play them off against each other, often openly and in public, seemingly in an attempt to provoke jealous rage, murder, depression, or suicide (he succeeded grandly at all except for murder, but his best friend took care of that one for him). He found ways to treat the male groupies with equal misery. But, soap operas should last thirty minutes at most. This book goes relentlessly on and on for 500 pages determined to prove that Picasso did not take one decent breath in his whole entire long life.At a certain point the reader begins to wonder that "thou dost protest too much."So then how did he come to be hailed as the genius of the 20th Century; as the man who showed us what our world really was or at least what it really looked like? The answer to this question is somewhat complex. The easiest part of it is that he was like a human camera. He could paint exactly what he saw as if he were a camera, and, he could paint any impression of what he saw, better than any human being alive. He was half way home on that talent alone, meaningless though it may have been. After all, if you can throw a ball better than anyone you are halfway home too. But Picasso's subject was, seemingly, important; one that intellectuals were interested in. Hence if he could capture their imaginations and somehow add their imprimatur to his painting talent the world would be at his feet, where he always felt it belonged.
Picasso hung out in Paris with many of the world's leading intellectuals. He even wrote a play called "Desire Caught By the Tail" directed by Albert Camus in which Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir acted. The play was about 10 pages long and nothing more than a series of bizarre scenes similar to what might have appeared in his painting. When Picasso commented about literature he said "it seems many writers want to be painters" apparently not knowing that the descriptions of visual objects in literature are often mere back drops for the infinitely larger conceptual themes with which language artists deal. He really didn't seem to understand that there was more in the world than pictures. His friend Sartre, a legitimate genius, set the record straight about the essential triviality of pictures in "What is Literature" when he said, "even when Picasso attempted to approach the real world with "Guernica" does anyone think he changed even a single mind with that painting"? And this was before the visual world was forever trivialized by, affordable travel, cameras, video cameras, TV, and film. We don't need a great painter anymore to create "The Last Supper" and by his choices tell us about the true nature of Jesus.
It did turn out though that the tyrannical and confused little painter did have something in common with the leading existentialist avant guard intellectuals of his day, namely, they all wanted us to see the world differently. The intellectuals because the world of physics had correctly foreshadowed today's confused world of string theory and because philosophy had foreshadowed the concomitant shift from the certain, well defined world of God to the confused existential world of man. Picasso too wanted us to see the world differently not because he was a physicist or philosopher but because 1) he was so hopelessly neurotic that he did see the world differently as any sick person does and 2) he realized he had to paint differently to develop a reputation as a different and great painter. The intellectuals were happy to use Picasso because his technically ingenious but neurotically confusing paintings did help loosen our grip on old realities. Picasso in turn was happy to use their imprimatur of change to normalize his neurosis and to falsely give philosophical meaning to his immense skill at meaningless painting. That he encouraged us toward misogyny and/or other of his gruel narcissistic indulgences did not matter; it was change, and that was what the intellectuals wanted most. The public really had no idea what was going on as Picasso's legend grew and grew to newer and newer heights of irrationality. Today, Picasso's reputation seems mostly in the hands of art owners, museums, and curators all of whom profit in Picasso's on going and growing legend. This summer's hugely successful Picasso/Matisse exhibit at MOMA , for example, drew 100s of thousands of adoring fans. Curators raved at the point, counter point genius of the two artists; everyone made money, had fun, and wished they too could free their troubled souls and enlighten the world by creating great art, but not a word was ever said about the emperor having no clothes.
Norman Mailer, who was taken seriously as the greatest living writer and thinker, is a great fan of Picasso and has written adoringly and extensively about him; so perhaps his view is worth comparing to Huffington's? He and Picasso had things in common: both were diminutive technical genius who gained public adoration and hugely deformed egos at a very early age. Mailer stabbed one of his early wives and clearly behaved a lot like Picasso, and perhaps for many of the same reasons, although he matured as he aged whereas Picasso did not. His portrait of Picasso as a young man tends to be purely forgiving. The idea that internal struggle, suffering, depression, angst, turmoil, and general soap opera leads to great, honest, revolutionary art apparently still lives in Mailer's soul. After all, what can an artist create if not the manifestation of tremendous inner turmoil and growth?
Mailer forgives Picasso for everything because it was all to produce "great art." Sadly, the idea that the traditional, formulaic, hypocritical, country club Republican mentality would be replaced by the existential soap opera playing out in the communist souls of Picasso, Mailer, and French intellectuals seems more a joke today than anything else. So in the end, Huffington is quite right about Picasso, although she doesn't address the meaning of Picasso's art at all, except in so far as she ruthlessly cuts his foundation away.

biased
this book is totally Anti-Picasso, she hardly touches his Art her only concern is ripping him apart.

The title should be: Picasso's sins against women.
I've read quite a bit on Picasso and I was quite aware of his abuses tohis lovers and his friends. I also like Arianna Huffington. However, thisbook quickly degrades in what seems like a personal statement or act ofretribution against Picasso. While the writing regarding his major worksand career highlights is understated with light cast only on the negativeaspects of each, his transgressions and shortcomings in both art and hissocial life are focused on far too much. The result is an unbalanced bookthat seems wholly predjudiced. One gets the overall feeling that Ariannawas one of Picasso's spurned or mistreated lovers and is out for revenge. Iprefer more evenly written objective material on historical charactersrather then the polarized point of view offerred here. Overall, I wouldsuggest something by John Richardson who I feel is better informed (via hispersonal relationship with Picasso) and able to cast objective light on oneof mankind's great artists and characters.

A valuable book
The " modernism " Picasso launched was basically the conception of the artist's oeuvre as a diary, albeit he probably, along with most qf the art establishment, would be outraged by this point of view. That washis most significant first; his development of form, merely a bi - productof his auto - biographical method. This book enables us to see clearly theconnection between the man and the works, instead of the usual european wayof clouding the timid author's confusion about a complex artist withpolitically correct aestheticism. Whether Picasso's works are all, they'rehyped up to be, when considered as individual paintings, is for theindividual to decide; this book is about the man Picasso, his life, and assuch most refreshing. ... Read more

Book Description
Thirty-five of Picasso's erotic drawings are exhibited in this collection that offers viewers the unique experience of watching over the artist's shoulder as he works. Picasso's brilliant draftsmanship is evident on every page, while his versatility is reflected in these pieces, which are in turn provocative and humorous, angry and tender. Designed to resemble an artist's sketchbook, this superb addition to the Erotic Sketchbook series features stunning reproductions, an embossed cover and a delicate ribbon tie, making it the perfect gift or keepsake for lovers of art and lovers everywhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good gift book
Beautifully printed and presented, a book that says "gift" for an art-loving friend who appreciates mainstream erotic art. ... Read more

Book Description

Amazon.com
If you had to choose just one book about Pablo Picasso, the most protean artist of the 20th century, what would you look for? Copious, good-quality reproductions. An authoritative account of the way his approach to painting was influenced by his personality, the women in his life, and his awareness of art made by others. An in-depth treatment of key works like Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (which Picasso memorably called his "first exorcism painting") and signature themes, like the half-man, half-animal Minotaur. Then there's the question of tone. Some books cast Picasso as a demigod or a destroyer. Others, like art historian John Richardson's A Life of Picasso, offer a more balanced, psychologically penetrating portrait of the artist.

Hefty, elegant, and inclusive, The Ultimate Picasso hits most, though not all, of these marks. It offers more than 1,200 reproductions (nearly 800 in color) spanning the artist's entire career. Smoothly translated from the French, the book weaves biographical detail and discussions of the art into a concise narrative. ("Olga became pregnant in the summer of 1920, and in Picasso's work forms blossomed and flesh took on the massive quality of stone.") The three authors are all experts--Léal and Bernadac are (respectively) present and former curators of the Musée Picasso in Paris, and Piot coauthored the catalogue raisonné of Picasso's sculpture. They clearly explain visual sources, duly acknowledge leading art historians' interpretations, and choose good quotes from contemporaries. Yet the text can be surprisingly skimpy. The 16-page section on Guernica, for example, has barely two pages of discussion about the painting and its genesis. The authors keep an extremely tight focus on their subject, with only as much mention of Picasso's contemporaries or the outside world as is absolutely necessary.

The major flaws, however, are the authors' hyperbolic view of their subject ("Picasso did not paint nature, but the suffering of the men and women of his time, creating from it beauty and truth") and the lack of any psychological insight about the repeated devastation Picasso wreaks on the female form. In this old-fashioned portrait of the male artist as genius, human failings do not exist, unless they belong to somebody else. --Cathy Curtis Book Description
Of all the books on the man many consider the greatest genius of 20th-century art, the sumptuous hardcover volume published by Abrams in 2000 stands out as truly the "ultimate" Picasso. This new paperback edition includes everything in the previous book, in a smaller, reader-friendly format. It covers in one volume all the periods of Picasso's long, incredibly versatile career, with exquisite reproductions of nearly every significant work he ever created and texts by leading authorities on particular periods of Picasso's artistic evolution.

Brigitte Léal covers Picasso's formative years from 1881 through 1916, a period that includes his invention of Cubism with Georges Braque. Christine Piot explores the astonishingly fertile period from 1917 through 1952. Marie-Laure Bernadac discusses the unabashed vigor of Picasso's later years, from 1953 until his death in 1973. More than 1,200 magnificent reproductions, almost 800 in full color, illustrate Picasso's breathtaking range of artistic expression, including paintings, drawings, lithographs, ceramics, and sculpture. Picasso once boasted that a book would have to be written every day to keep up with his creative output. Perhaps. But for art lovers and students seeking just one book, The Ultimate Picasso is unsurpassed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Beautiful work!
For many years I've been a great admirer of Pablo Picasso's work. Whenever I travel I always look for Picasso's museums or General Art Museums where Picasso's works are displayed. As a result of these trips I've gathered panflets, brochures and many books focusing different phases of the artist. However something was missing! And that would be a comprehensive overview that could be able to explain and make sense of his imense and brilliant lifelong work and at the same time to show magnificent reproductions! congratulations to the author who was very successful in her enterprise!

Stunningly Great Book
This is a great book. It's chock full of illustrations--so many that they just quit offering text every few pages to let the images catch up. It goes through his entire life, showing the art he created for each section. It's great, insightfull, a huge folio-sized book and just an all around great read/see.

The ultimate Picasso artwork reference.
I took this book out of our university library to have on hand while reading Françoise Gilot's "Living with Picasso", in order to see representations of the artwork to which she refers throughout the book."The Ultimate Picasso" proved invaluable. Not only does it contain Picasso's complete major works, they are also presented in chronological order which made look-up easy despite Gilot's often describing an artwork and the process used to create it but not always giving its title (she always gives dates).I ordered "The Ultimate Picasso" before the library due date because I couldn't bear to not have the book in my house!
The photos of the artwork are brilliant and crisp, and the accompanying text is informative.
You will not be disappointed by this book.

the best picasso book ever!!
this book rocks so much it breaks the very laws that govern physics!! so much information, so many beautiful pictures, so dense.it seems to capture the very spirit of pablo picasso. it was give to me as a valentine's day gift, and it is one of my most prized books. this is a MUST purchase for any picasso fan.

nothing much to say but incredible
To see tons of Picasso works in one book is nothing short of breathtaking. This is easily the best Picasso book that focuses on his paintings. What's incredible is to see the prolific amount of work he was capable of, and just what a inventive genius he was. Without a doubt the greatest Artist of the 20th century. Not all the works make sense, or are even recognizable as anything, but that was Picasso; his art was how he viewed the world, and how his own heart felt inside:confused, and out of place. His Cubism is nearly mathmatical, and very intriguing. IF you're interested in Picasso as more than that weird guy who made all those paintings i just don't get, come and check out this book to see all of what he was made of. You'll be amazed and inspired. ... Read more

Book Description
Rich color reproductions and informative text cover the enormous output of the brilliant Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, who worked up to the age of 91. This is a wonderful introduction to the man that many consider the greatest artistic genius of the 20th century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Amazingly literate biography
I have read two other books about Picasso ("Picasso's Women" and "Picasso's War".This give a much more-rounded (and affectionate) view of the great man, and also gives much insight into his work and the critical reception of it.Highly recommended.

A pleasant read without much effort.
After having read many books about Picasso. It was a pleasure to enjoy the author's prose. The subject was a keen interest of Mr.O'Brian's as were his other bio. clients who form a wide range of characters. It is apparent that it is the writing rather than exacting erudition which is the author's trademark.

The opening of the book which describes Malaga and its history is fascinating and sets the stage for Picasso's development. One can easily understand Picasso absorbing this rich culture.

On comparison with Richardson this volume comes off rather poorly and subscribes to some well known anecdotes which are now known to be false. One such incident was when Picasso's father is supposed to have given up painting altogether after seeing how good his son was. Picasso was fourteen or fifteen at the time yet there exist paintings of pigeons signed by Don Ruiz up until his death.

The narrative follows Picasso from Spain to France and rightly emphasises the entire cubist episode. The usual list of early characters are present, e.g. Max Jacob, Guillaume Apollinaire, Fernande Olivier, etc.

What struck me as the best of this book was the author's willingness to describe Picasso's terrible behaviour, especially in his latter years when he would ignore or reject official plaudits. His treatment of women including the terrible initiation of Jacqueline Roque is not spared and yet it is not written with malice but with an understanding that it was all the sycophants and their scraping that only served to isolate Picasso even further.

Nevertheless, when Picasso was faced with an equal (Matisse or Braque) or someone even older than himself whom he may have known as a youngster (Pallares)he was a gracious and tactful host.

This is not the best biography of Picasso (that honour belong's to John Richardson) but it is perfectly readable and does contain some insights that are unique.

A fascinatingand well-written portrait
It is a pleasure to find a work of non-fiction in which the writing flows smoothly across the page, and in which a rich portrait of the subjectemerges without recourse to over-wrought speculation. This sympathetic, yetdetailed account of Picasso is both fun to read for its own sake, andfascinating for the sake of its subject. A very readable biography. ... Read more

Book Description
On April 26, 1937, the Basque town of Guernica in northern Spain was bombed by Hitler's Luftwaffe in the midst of a bloody civil war on behalf of Francisco Franco's rebel forces. Twenty-four hours later, the village lay in ruins, its population decimated. This act of terror and unspeakable cruelty--the first large-scale attack against civilians in modern warfare-outraged the world, and one man in particular. Pablo Picasso, an expatriate living in Paris, responded to the devastation in his homeland by beginning work on Guernica, a painting that many today consider the greatest artwork of the twentieth century.

Weaving themes of politics, art, war, and morality, and featuring some of the twentieth century's most memorable and infamous figures, Martin follows this renowned masterwork across decades and continents. From Europe to America and, finally, back to Spain, Picasso's War sheds light on the conflict that was an ominous prelude to World War II and delivers an unforgettable portrait of a genius whose visionary statement about the horror and terrible wounds of war still resonates today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Has this author never heard of a split infinitive?
I'm midway through 'Picasso's War' and so far I'm really enjoying its content. It's a well-rounded account not only of Picasso's famous artwork, but of the history and social context and Picasso's life and personal situation at the time. However, I have one huge criticism, which is that this book is full of grammatical errors - namely split infinitives on just about every page. I don't expect every author who has something interesting to say to have a perfect grasp of grammar, but surely that's what an editor is for? The lack of good editing in this text has quite spoiled the experience of reading it for me. I read very widely and I can honestly say that I've never read such a poorly edited book in all my life. Pocket Books, Simon & Schuster or whoever you are, you've done a very poor job.

Great Book for a Light Read On Picasso
The book as a whole was rather well written, and, if someone asked me for a good nonfiction book about Picasso, there is a good chance that I would point them to this book. The book had good descriptions throughout, it was written for so that people who had very little understanding previously could understand what was going on, and the book was written so that it didn't have to be read all in one sitting. So, while I probably wouldn't pass it onto others, I feel that it was a good experience to read it.

Good discussion - Visuals lacking
Picasso's War untangles much of the criticism of the artist during WWII for remaining in France. It is an excellent discussion of Guernica--the paintings beginning as rough sketches to the final product.The tragedy at Gernica is discribed vividly, putting the reader at the scene.Martin's take on Picasso is balanced--his outstanding talent and chauvenism toward his many women are discussed.My criticism of the book lies with the total lack of illustrations.As an artist I wanted to see pictures of the initial sketches, the painting in process and a good reproduction of Guernica, not just what was on the cover.The lack of illustrations makes the book much less effective for a visual person, artist or art historian.

A Gripping Account Of Guernica - The Bombing & The Mural
On April 26, 1937, 100 aircraft of the German Luftwaffe's Legion Condor conducted a three hour bombing attack on the city of Guernica, a small Basque town, then held by the Loyalist Republican Army. The Germans were pressured into conducting the attack by Francisco Franco, the Spanish rebel leader. Guernica was approximately 10 miles behind the front lines and was crowded with retreating soldiers and refugees. The day was the normal market day for the town and surrounding area. Local citizens crowded the marketplace, doing their weekly shopping.

Two-thirds of the of the explosives dropped by the German bombers were 500 and 250 kilogram high explosive bombs and 20 pound anti-personnel bombs; one-third were 2 pound incendiary bombs. Approximately 1,654 people may have been killed and another 889 wounded in the attack. Reports indicate as much as 70 percent of the town was destroyed, with most of the rest heavily damaged. Fires ignited during the attack are reported to have burned for three days. Guernica fell to General Francisco Franco's advancing army two days later.

From his home in Paris, Pablo Picasso, Spanish artist and master painter, translated the shock, horror, sorrow and outrage he shared with his fellow countrymen and most of the world's people, into a gigantic black and white mural he titled Guernica.

Russell Martin tells the complete story of Guernica, starting with the events that lead to the creation of the painting and following Guernica as it moved from museum to museum, becoming ever more the important symbol it has become today - and one of the 20th century's greatest masterpieces. Martin examines Spain under Franco's fascist regime, the storied private life of Picasso, the messages of protest within the painting, and the controversy that surrounded Guernica.

This painting symbolizes all that is horrible and evil in war, and the resulting suffering that occurs in wars everywhere. "Picasso's War" has been named a Book Sense 76 selection of the US Association of Independent Booksellers. It is extremely well written and fascinating - educational, critical and very personal. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
JANA

Great Read -- Great History?
Russell Martin has taken the history of the Spanish Civil War and a single work of art an woven them together into an entertaining and enlightening book. I am disturbed, however, by the author's Bibliographical Note, which begins "This narrative is intended for general readers rather than scholars, and for that reason I have chosen not to cite sources in the text or in accompanying notes. But I will be pleased to answer queries directed to me through the publisher about specific sources...." The author claims a great deal of detailed knowledge, from time to time stating with authority how Picasso felt in particular situations. It would be nice, even for a general reader, to know whether these conclusions were based on letters or interviews or the author's supposition... ... Read more