Paris-based art historian Diana Widmaier Picasso explains which works meant the most to her famous grandfather, and why they were so beloved.
The following written content by Nadja Sayej
News recently broke that a painting by Pablo Picasso is going to auction at a Christie’s sale in London on March 23. It’s a portrait of his muse, Marie-Thérèse Walter, a model who became the mother of his child, Maya Widmaier-Picasso, and it’s expecting to fetch over $15 million.
Paris-based art historian Diana Widmaier Picasso, the granddaughter of Picasso and Walter, recently released a book uncovering Picasso’s top 100 artworks, in a book titled Pablo Picasso: The Impossible Collection. The book, which details the top artworks of the Spanish artist, traces his cubist era, his famed Guernica piece, self-portraits, and later works.
“Picasso is the most famous and probably the most prolific artist of the 20th century, and our knowledge on his work still remains incomplete,” says Diana Picasso. “In this book, I wanted to tell the personal history of my grandfather and the history behind his work. This was such a difficult task, which is why the title The Impossible Collection felt appropriate.”
She selected the works in this book, including his early pieces from the Blue Period (from 1901 to 1904) when he only painted in hues of blue, including The Old Guitarist. It also includes works from his Rose Period (1904 to 1906), when he painted harlequins and circus performers, as lived in the bohemian neighborhood of Montmartre in Paris.
“I also selected works that Picasso had chosen to keep until the end of his life in 1973, including paintings and drawings that held personal memories for him, or some late works,” says Diana Picasso. Read more from Architectural Digest.
%2C%252520New%252520York.jpg)
