Like no other medium in which he worked, Picasso's lithography only began to realize its full potential in the decades after 1945. This new volume presents Picasso's entire lithographic oeuvre, consisting of 855 pieces -- for the first time in full color throughout the book. Assembled over the course of three decades, this collection is unmatched, impossible to be repeated or recreated in the same way. Its uniqueness lies in the rarity of its test and state printings, and its numerous single printings and unpublished sheets. Pablo Picasso: The Lithographs is the first collection of such work to list every printed sheet as an individual work and thus constitutes the most reliable reference work for the artist's lithographic oeuvre. An interview with printer Henri Deschamps offers an immediate, contemporary account of the process of creating the sheets, and Erich Franz's illuminating introduction to Picasso's lithography sharpens the viewer's eyes to the innovative diversity of this master artist whose importance has still yet to be completely accounted for.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition "Picasso: Themes and Variations" held at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, N.Y., Mar. 24-Sept. 6, 2010.

A collection of photographs of Pablo Picasso's life and art, taken by his friend, award-winning photojournalist David Douglas Duncan.

Picasso may have the most uncanny line since Botticelli. Each medium or style he chose to master, no matter how solid or sculptural, can be seen as line disguised, metamorphic; as the labyrinth to which a single thread is the key. Theoretically, line is infinite; Picasso in his fertility nearly realized that theory in almost a century of ceaseless drawing, whether on paper, zinc, stone, or other media. Here is a sampling, rather than a comprehensive selection, from that plenitude; while nothing could be comprehensive within a single volume, the genius of Picasso's line manifests itself so clearly that this culling from various periods reveals the line in most of its guises. Beginning with a 1905 circus family in drypoint, 44 drawings cover Picasso's major themes, techniques, and styles. From the almost classic Ingresque clarity of the Diaghilev and Stravinsky portraits (1919, 1920) via cubist studies and "neo-classical" nudes, Picasso's restless hand remakes his world again and again with fresh energy, culminating here in six sketches of the artist/model dashed out in raging love/hate in the midst of personal crisis (1953–54). In between are times of serenity and introspection (Seven Dancers (1919), with the future Olga Picasso up front; many figures and bathers) and, particularity as book illustrations, many mythological studies; Eurydice Stung by a Serpent (1930 etching), Dying Minotaur in the Arena (1933), an etching for a 1934 edition of Lysistrata. Balzac is represented by a striking lithographic portrait (1952) and by etching for Vollard's edition of Le Chef-d'oeuvre inconnu. The sudden appearance of an earthy, hirsute Rembrandt (1934) seems to confirm Picasso's membership in the select group of art history's greatest draughtsmen.

In scenes of children playing and women posing, and in portraits of his children and famous men such as Paul Cézanne, Auguste Rodin, and Richard Wagner, the great Impressionist reveals his subtle mastery of mood, composition, and shading.

How a German art dealer ensured the museum acquisition and dissemination of Picasso's prints in the postwar years How does any given body of work wind up in major collections, museums and exhibitions? Very often, it is because of the unsung efforts of individuals who advocate for the work in the face of conservatism and criticism. In Picasso's case, this role in Germany fell to the Bremen art dealer Michael Hertz. It was Hertz's commitment in the postwar period that resulted in the widespread acquisition of the artist by museums after World War II. In particular, Hertz's work on behalf of Picasso greatly benefited Kunsthalle Bremen, which has one of the most extensive collections of the artist's prints. The Picasso Connectionbrings together outstanding printworks by Picasso, ranging from lithographs and linocuts to book illustrations. Picasso's print oeuvre, as represented here, exemplifies the triumph of the affordable medium in postwar Germany, as well as Hertz's strong commitment.

Poet James Schuyler was an associate editor of the influential Art News during the late 50s and early 60s. These writings, illustrated throughout, provide a vivid composite portrait of the New York scene at a crucial time. There are pieces on key figures of the Abstract Expressionist, Pop, and neo-figurative schools; and on numerous other persuasions and tendencies of that revolutionary era.