Picasso Black and White3 star

 

 

The Beauty of Black and White

Edited by Carmen Gimenez
Delmonico Books, $60.00, 227 pages

Picasso Black and White was published to accompany an exhibition of the same name that was on display at the Guggenheim Museum October 2012 through January 2013. The book itself is beautiful – printed on luscious, heavy satin-finished paper – and includes more than 150 reproductions of paintings and sculptures from the exhibit.

The tome also includes insightful essays written by noted Picasso scholars Carmen Gimenez, who curated and show and edited the book, art historian Richard Shiff, art critic Dore Ashton, and Olivier Berggruen, son of dealer/collector Heinz Berggruen. Each explores aspects of Picasso’s continuous passion for and use of black and white – as well as his oftentimes subtle, surprisingly colorful shades of gray. Indeed, the narrative points out, that while Picasso went through “periods” of his work – the Blue period or the Rose period – his entire career was interwoven with the black and white motif.

Much has been written about Picasso and his phenomenal contributions to the art world over the years. Just when it seemed that nothing new could be said about his work, Gimenez stripped the color from his collection and assembled a fresh, truly remarkable collection that has started a whole new conversation about the amazing Pablo Picasso. A must have – and must read – for all lovers of art.

Reviewed by Rebecca Parsons

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