Pablo Picasso

Winged Bull Watched by Four Children, from The Suite Vollard [Taureau ailé contemplé par quatre enfants], by Pablo Picasso, 1934.

• Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973).
• Etching on Wove paper.
• Hand signed.
• Part of an edition of 250.
• Printed by Lacourière.
• Published by Ambroise Vollard, Paris.
• This work is presented unframed.

This is the 13th plate in La Suite Vollard, Picasso's most important series of etchings, and was realized in December 1934.

The Suite Vollard, created between 1930 and 1937, was named after its publisher, the French art dealer and critic Ambroise Vollard. Picasso and Vollard shared a close working relationship up until 1910; however, after this date Vollard was no longer Picasso’s dealer though the two continued to collaborate on publishing projects. In 1930, Vollard, encouraged by the success of two earlier ventures, ambitiously commissioned 100 plates from Picasso and by 1937 the plates were completed and given to master printer Roger Lacourière to print.

The entire edition comprises 3 copies on parchment, 50 copies on larger format Montval paper and 250 on smaller format Montval paper. Tragically, Ambroise Vollard died in a car crash on 22 July 1939 leaving the project temporarily suspended, until a greater part of the edition was purchased by the print dealer Henri Marie Petiet.

After World War II, Petiet engaged Picasso to sign a certain number of sets, and this continued up until 1969 but ceased with the publication of the 347 Series. Hence, a large number of the prints from the edition of 250 remain unsigned.

Hand signed.

Galleria Dell’Ariete, Milan.

Bloch, G. (1968). Pablo Picasso: Tome I, Catalogue of the Printed Graphic Work 1904-1967. Bern: Editions Kornfeld et Klipstein. Reference: Bloch 229.

Baer, B. (1992). Picasso: Peintre-Graveur, Tome II, Catalogue Raisonne de l'OEuvre Grave. Bern: Editions Kornfeld. Reference: Baer 444.