PABLO PICASSO (1881–1973)
Les Bleus de Barcelone – 12 Aquarelles et Pastels
Preface by Jaime Sabartés
Au Vent d'Arles, Paris, 1963
An important and visually striking Picasso portfolio devoted to the artist's formative years in Barcelona and Paris, bringing together twelve works executed between 1899 and 1904, the crucial years surrounding the emergence of the celebrated Blue Period.
Published in Paris in 1963 by Au Vent d'Arles, the portfolio was conceived as a deluxe bibliophile edition and accompanied by a preface written by Jaime Sabartés, Picasso's lifelong friend, secretary, and one of the principal figures behind the creation of the Museu Picasso in Barcelona. The publication was produced by the renowned atelier of Daniel Jacomet, whose exceptional pochoir work sought to preserve the richness and atmosphere of Picasso's original watercolours, pastels, crayons and heightened charcoal drawings.
The Blue Period occupies a unique place in Picasso's artistic development. Generally dated between 1901 and 1904, it emerged following a series of personal and artistic upheavals, most notably the death of Picasso's close friend Carlos Casagemas in Paris in 1901. During these years Picasso abandoned the bright palette of his youth in favour of restrained harmonies dominated by blues, blue-greens and muted earth tones. His subjects became increasingly introspective, focusing on themes of poverty, isolation, melancholy, motherhood, old age, blindness and the hardships of modern urban life.
Many of the works reproduced in Les Bleus de Barcelone originate precisely from this defining moment in Picasso's career. Executed in Barcelona and Paris between 1899 and 1904, they document the evolution of the young artist from gifted academic draughtsman to the creator of one of the most influential periods in twentieth-century art. Several of the images anticipate themes later developed in major masterpieces such as La Vie (1903), The Blindman's Meal (1903), and The Frugal Repast (1904).
The text was hand-set in Garamond and printed by Imprimerie Union, Paris, with the edition completed on 10 December 1963. The plates were printed on Vélin BFK Rives, a paper widely used for high-quality French bibliophile editions.
Bibliographical References
Cramer 122
Bloch 1130
Orozco, Picasso: 70 Years of Book Illustration, No. 217
Edition
The edition was limited to:
500 numbered copies
40 hors commerce copies
Copies numbered 1–75 were additionally accompanied by an original signed and numbered aquatint printed by the Ateliers Crommelynck.
Complete Suite of Plates
Portrait de Sabartés en moine — Paris, 1938
Lola, sœur de l'artiste — Barcelone, 1899
Femme à la mèche — Barcelone, 1903
Le divan — Barcelone, 1899
Le peintre Sebastián Junyer — Paris, 1904
Femme devant le miroir — Paris, 1900
Mère et enfant au fichu — Barcelone, 1903
La diseuse — Paris, 1901
Les amants dans la rue — Paris, 1900
Le poète décadent — Barcelone, 1899
La femme au châle — Barcelone, 1899
Le fou — Paris, 1904
This Example
Copy No. 331 / 500
Complete example retaining the original publisher's portfolio case and the complete suite of twelve plates.
Condition
A particularly well-preserved copy. The original portfolio case remains present and structurally sound. The complete suite of twelve plates is retained and presents exceptionally well. Minor foxing is visible primarily on the justification leaf and a few text leaves, while the plates themselves remain remarkably fresh, with excellent colour and visual impact. Overall, the portfolio presents in near-collector condition and significantly above the standard usually encountered for this edition.
Les Bleus de Barcelone remains one of the most desirable Picasso portfolios devoted to the artist's early years, combining important Blue Period imagery, high-quality Jacomet production, and a strictly limited edition recorded in the standard Picasso bibliographies. Complete examples preserved in their original portfolio case are increasingly difficult to locate on the market.
I also have for sale an incomplete portfolio with 6 oit of 12 plates
