Picasso heads specialist prints auction

Two works by iconic Spanish-French artist Pablo Picasso should boost auction goer numbers to Leonard Joel’s Specialist Prints auction from 6.30pm Wednesday September 19 at 333 Malvern Road, South Yarra.

The first of these is the famous Peintre Neo-Classique dans son Atelier (Neo-Classical Painter in his Studio).

One of the 20^th century’s most influential artists, Picasso etched the work in 1963 at Mas Notre Dame de View, a house in Mougins in the south of France where he and his wife Jacqueline moved to in June 1961 when the artist was 80 years old.

Brothers Aldo and Piero Crommelynck – who had worked with Picasso’s printer Roger Lacouriere in Paris before becoming his primary printers until he died in 1973 – printed the edition.

Three proofs were pulled from the original copper plate and published in 1967 in an edition of 15 artist’s proofs and 50 numbered prints (of which this is one).

The Galerie Louise Leiris in Paris printed these works on high quality white Rives paper.

Festival Mondial de la Jeunesse (the second listing) is a limited edition scarf printed in 1951 by Picasso and made in support of the World Festival of Youth and Students for Peace Berlin.

This has become a collector’s item as a very limited number (featuring Picasso’s now iconic dove rendering) were produced exclusively for this conference.

Picasso was a master of many mediums and found inspiration throughout his life as a painter, sculptor, etcher, lithographer, ceramist and designer – carving a distinct mode of self-expression in an unprecedented variety of styles.

There are several Charles Blackman works in the auction including Fire Bird (screenprint 142 of 150), Schoolgirl Jumping, Fairytale Garden of Childhood and Summers Day.

Other Australian artists of note include Tim Storrier (Flight Home 2006), John Coburn (Garden of Desire 1976), Jeffrey Smart (Man with Bouquet 1982) and John Olsen (Lunch at Lucios).