Viva Picasso

by David Douglas Duncan

A celebratory collection of over one hundred of the finest photographs ever taken of Picasso at work and play evokes the extraordinary vitality and creative, emotional depth of this great artist

Genres: Art

154 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Jaimie · Rating 3 out of 5]

With most books about artists you expect to be presented with a selection of their artwork, a series of essays exploring their major themes, and some narrative about their life or time period to further explore their motivations. Yet, this book gives us something completely different, in the form of a series of photographs taken by photo-journalist David Douglas Duncan which take readers behind the scenes for an intimate glimpse into the life of the prolific artist. Duncan gives us a brief introductory essay to open the book, claiming that while he was given a place in the Picasso household that grew to feel like home the mystery of the artist was not one that he felt was ever fully captured or known at all. While this may be true on some level - every person is an unknowable being to a certain extent - the claim seems to feed predictably into the narrative of the reclusive artist and isn’t one that I feel is ever really true. I agree that we can’t ever claim to know the entirety of anyone, much less the strange and intricate minds of creatives like Picasso, but moments like those captured by Duncan herein reveal small truths - even if they are only parts of the whole. Few of the photographs focus on the artwork created by Picasso (though there are a few scenes where Duncan visits the inner sanctum of the artist’s sunlit studio), instead revealing the intimacy of his life outside of artistic creation. Moments captured at the breakfast table, communing with his pets, and sharing words with his partner show readers the normalcy of his life, just another on the stage of the world. While I definitely would have appreciated some narrative alongside the photographs to provide some context, the stark presentation of “silent” images renders the book with an imaginative quality that seems fitting for Duncan’s thesis - and the unknowable essence of Picasso. We see the artist and his artwork, but the mystery remains.

[Sage Oleander · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting in a way, but largely feels like mythologization.

The book consists mainly of black and white photographs of Picasso and his studio, often shirtless or in his underwear. (I don't want to look at pictures of a creepy shirtless old man.) With very little information on the photos in question until the very end. Duncan's writing is what you would expect of most art historians; bland, boring, dull, and pretentious (Full disclaimer, I am an art history student and not all art history writing is bad, but you know the type I mean). Picasso is reintroduced to us as a man of mystery, who no one truly understood, etc. The usual sort of prose you would expect from an art book published in the 1980's.

Don't even bother opening it unless you want shirtless old man photos in black and white for some reason. Power to you if that's your thing, I guess?

[Andrea Engle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book mainly devoted to black and white photos of the aging Picasso ... interesting ...

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own this book. This is my second read. There is a photo of Picasso in his studio signing my favorite painting of his. The book is mostly photos of his life and work, some history during his life with Jacqueline. One memorable note is that he stayed up all night painting the last day of his life, and died in the morning. Wouldn't we all want to go that way, doing what we enjoy most in life! Once I saw a photo of him painting in his shorts when he was 91. So marvelous! So glad I found this book at a second hand store on the way home one late afternoon!

[Jamil · Rating 3 out of 5]

stare into the eyes of the master.