http://www.sapergalleries.com/Picasso.html

PicassowithlinocutofJacquelineandtheoriginallinoleumplatefromwhichitwasprintedin1959

Thisoriginaletching,LereposduSculpteuretleModèleauMasque,27.3.1933(Restingsculptorandmodelwiththemask)isoneof100imagesfromthefamousVollardSuite.PicassocreatedtheetchingplatethatwasusedtoprintthisetchingonMarch27,1933.

Picassocreated64ofthe100VollardSuiteetchingplatesin1933and13oftheetchingsareinthisSaperGalleriesexhibition.

In1933Picassoofficiallylivedwithhiswife,Olga,inParis.Whilehismarriagedeteriorated,hisrelationshipwithMarie-Thérèseblossomed.Theyoungmusebecameaconstantthemeinhispaintingsandotherartin1933.

HitlerwasappointedChancellorofGermanyinJanuary,1933,anationwithaJewishpopulationof556,000.ThenewregimepassedcivillawsthatbarredJewsfromholdingpositionsinthecivilservice,inlegalandmedicalprofessions,andinteachinganduniversitypositions.TheNazisencouragedboycottsofJewish-ownedshopsandbusinessesandbeganbookburningsofwritingsbyJewsandbyothersnotapprovedbytheReich.Later,theJewswereprohibitedfrominvolvementintheartsortoownlandoreditnewspapers.Nazianti-Semiticlegislationandpropagandaagainst"Non-Aryans"wasathinlydisguisedattackagainstanyonewhohadJewishparentsorgrandparents.ThefirstconcentrationcampopenedoutsideofBerlinwithseveraltofollowthatyear.Nazispassedalawwhichresultedinbeggars,thehomeless,alcoholicsandtheunemployedtobesenttothecamps.

TheincreasingpoliticaluneaseinEurope(particularlywithrespecttoHitler’srisetopowerandthegrowingthreatofFascism)andemotionalupheavalsinPicasso’slifecontributedtoanincreasingviolentthemeinsomeofPicasso’swork,includingetchingsoftheVollardSuite(notincludedinthisexhibition).

BackintheUSA,PresidentRooseveltorderedaseven-daybankholidayinMarch,1933.Atthesametime,PicassocontinuedexperimentingwithSurrealistimagery,creatingfiguresofunfamiliarjuxtapositionsoffamiliarobjects.

BetweenMarch14andJune18Picassocreated57etchings,40ofwhichwereonthethemeofthesculptor’sstudio,producedbeforethebeginningofMay.EarlysculpturalimageswereliketheactualsculpturesPicassocreatedofMarie-Thérèsein1932.

Inthesummerof1933Picasso,hiswife,Olga,andtheirchildPaulostayedinCanneswhileMarie-ThérèseremainedinBiarritzforthesummer.YetitwasMarie-ThérèsewhocontinuedtobeportrayedinhisartandOlgaandPaulowerenot.

Thesuiteof100imageswasnamedforPicasso’sartdealerandpublisher,AmbroiseVollard(1867-1939).Vollard,responsibleforgivingthefirstone-manshowinParisforPicassoin1901isthesubjectofaspecialexhibitiontobeattheMuseumofModernArtinNewYorkSeptember,2006-January,2007.VollardalsogavethefirstsoloshowsforartistsCezanneandMatisseintheParisgalleryhecreatedin1893wherehealsoexhibitedartbyDegas,Rodin,Gauguin,andVanGogh,amongothers.InmostoftheseearlyshowsVollarddefiedpublictaste,supportingavante-gardeartists,allofwhomlaterpaintedportraitsofVollardinappreciationforhisearlysupport.

In1913VollardbegantopurchasethecopperetchingplatesthatPicassopreparedwiththeintentofproducingalimitednumberofetchings"pulled"fromthoseplates.

In1937Vollardwasgiven97copperetchingplatesbyPicassointradeforsomepaintings(byotherartists)thatPicassowantedfromVollard.Theetchingplateswerecreatedintheperiod1930to1936.PicassolatercreatedthreeetchingsofVollard,bringingthetotalnumberofetchingplatesto100.

Vollarddiedinanautoaccidentin1939andsoonaftertheetchingplateswereacquiredbyHenriPetiet.

The100SuiteVollardimagesaregenerallycategorizedbythemes:TheBattleofLove(5images),TheSculptor’sStudio(46),Rembrandt(4),TheMinotaurandTheBlindMinotaur(15),andthePortraitsofVollard(3).Theremaining27imagesdealwithvariousthemessuchaswomendressingandwomensleeping,thecircus,bullfight,andlove(bothtenderandotherwise),amongothers.EvidentamongalltheprintsintheVollardSuiteisaunityboundbythenodtoneoclassicism,influencedbyPicasso’searliertripstoartcentersinItalyincludingRome,Florence,NaplesandPompeii.

FortheSuiteVollardPicassocreated3oftheetchingsin1930,sevenin1931,onein1932,61in1933,24in1934,nonein1935,onein1936,andthreein1937.Between1930and1936PicassodatedhisworksinRomannumerals;after1936heusedArabicnumbers.

MostoftheetchingsinthisSaperGalleriesexhibitionarefromtheSculptor’sStudiogroupingandareareflectionoftheloveaffairPicassoenjoyedwithhismodelandsecretmistress,Marie-ThérèseWalter,whomhemetin1927whenshewas17yearsold.Theetchingsareautobiographicalinthattheydisplayhisworkasapainterandsculptorandalover,evenasheleavesMarie-Thérèse,soonaftermeetingDoraMaarin1936.Theartist’swiderangeofmoodsisevidentineachoftheimagesaswellasthenatureofrelationshehadwiththewomenofhislife.InmanyoftheSculptor’sStudioimagesPicassoappearstoreflectonthestoryofPygmalion,inanautobiographicmanner.ThestoryisofthesculptorandKing,Pygmalion,whocreatedanivorystatueofayoungwoman,Galatea,sobeautifulthathefellinlovewithit.

Picasso’sseemingpreoccupationwithsculptureisrelatedtohisconcentrationwiththemediumsinceheacquiredanewresidencein1932athisstudioatBoisgeloupoutsideofParis.Between1933and1934hefocusedoncreatingplastersculpturesofhismistressMarie-Thérèse.

InmosteveryimagePicasso’stechnicalinventivenessisevident.Infact,severalseemtomatchthehandofRembrandt,thegreatetcherfromthe17thcentury,anditisRembrandt’sfacewhichappearsinseveralofthePicassoetchings.Inhisfinaletchingsofthe100plates,hemasteredthetechniquecalledsugarlifttoachievetonalqualitiesandotherricheffectsthatwerenotdevelopedbeforePicasso.

Picassomixedvariousmedia,inmostcasesstartingwithlineetching,thenaddingdrypointandlateraquatinttoachieveeffectsoflightandatmosphereordensedarkness.InobservingseveraloftheVollardetchingstogethertheyseemtosingwithnuancesofdanceastheysuggestdifferentmoodsbyvirtueofmediumandthetechniquesindesigningtheimageryportrayed.

ItwasRogerLacourièrewhowascommissionedbyVollardtoprintthePicassoetchingplatesin1939althoughtheetchingswerenotofferedforsaleuntil1950.Therewere313etchingsprintedfromeachplate.OnMontvalpaperwere260copieswatermarkedeither"Picasso"or"Vollard".Therewerealso50copiesprintedonaMontvalpaperabout2"largerinbothdirectionsandthosewerewatermarked"PapeterieMontgolfieràMontval".Finally,therewere3signedcopiesonparchment,rarelyfoundinthemarketplace.Thisetchingisfromtheeditionof260onMontvalpaperwatermarked"Picasso".

AfterWorldWarIIPetiethadPicassosignacertainnumberofsetsoftheVollardSuiteetchings.In1969,Picasso,sopreoccupiedwiththecreationofhis347Series,stoppedsigningtheVollardetchings,andthatiswhytherearestillsomanyunsignedtoday.

MostrecentlythePicassoSuiteVollardetchingswereexhibitedattheNationalGalleryinWashingtonD.C.,theModernArtMuseumofFortWorth,theNortonSimonMuseum,andtheNassauCountyMuseumofArt.Therearemorethan120majormuseumswhichdisplaysignificantPicassocollections.ItissaidthatPicasso’sVollardSuiteisthegreatestgroupofprintsproducedinthe20thcentury.