British Museum bolsters Picasso collection with graphic works

“Minotaure Aveugle Guide Par une Fillette Dans la Nuit” (1934), Pablo Picasso. From The Suite Vollard
B. 225; Ba. 437

Pablo Picasso is undoubtedly one of the most famous modern artists, and for good reason – he was masterful in nearly every medium, including graphic works.

A story in The Guardian reports that the British Museum recently purchased a group of mint-condition graphic works by Picasso. The acquisition completes the museum’s goal of housing and exhibiting a significant collection that showcases the artist’s printmaking skills.

“This is the last important gap to be filled in the British Museum’s representation of Picasso’s print work,” said Stephen Coppell, curator of the modern collection in the museum’s department of prints and drawings. “It is very important that we were able to acquire this work. It is one of the greatest achievements in graphic art.”

The collection features 19 new works made between 1947 and 1957. Among the works are depictions of Picasso’s muse, Francoise Gilot, the mother of their children, Paloma and Claude. The museum purchased the works through an Art Fund grant and individual donations.

“We have been playing catch-up really since the 1970s, because Picasso is the greatest 20th-century artist making prints, following on from the work of Dürer and Rembrandt and Goya,” Coppell said.

The article states the set of graphic works will be on display in January. These new acquisitions join the museum’s collection of other Picasso graphic works, including works from Picasso’s Vollard Suite and 347 Series.

Park West and Picasso

“Picasso, Son Oeuvre, et Son Public” 347 Series: No. 1 (1968), Pablo Picasso. B. 1481; Baer 1496

Like the British Museum, Park West Gallery appreciates the graphic works of Picasso. Since the 1960s, the gallery has collected and archived art by Picasso from the world’s most trusted sources. The collection includes works from Picasso’s 347 Series and Vollard Suite, all of which are offered to collectors.

Picasso produced 347 etchings, line engravings, drypoints, mezzotints and aquatints from March 16 to October 5, 1968, just three weeks before his 87^th birthday. This amazing collection is now known as the 347 Series.

Since 1999, Park West Gallery has acquired two full sets of the 347 Series, turning them into individual collecting opportunities and keeping them in the market. Complete sets are found in museums and private collections, including the Picasso Museum in both Barcelona and Paris.

Park West also collected an entire set of hand-signed works from the Vollard Suite in 2004. The suite is a set of 100 etchings Picasso produced from 1930 to 1937. The suite’s name is taken from Ambroise Vollard, the art dealer who commissioned them. More than 300 sets were produced, but many were separated and the etchings sold individually over time.

The Vollard Suite is one of Picasso’s greatest achievements. Numerous museum collections and exhibitions around the world feature etchings from the suite.

Park West Gallery has become one of the largest collectors of Picasso graphic works in the world. This means collectors can acquire Picasso masterworks that are authentic, historically significant and visually seductive. Contact our gallery consultants for collecting opportunities, not only for Picasso, but other masters including Dürer, Rembrandt and Goya.

See our ad in the British Museum magazine.