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Visiting Picasso: The Notebooks and Letters of Roland Penrose
Drawn from the private notebooks and correspondence of Roland Penrose, an intriguing firsthand account of the life and personality of Pablo Picasso.
Published here for the first time, these lively writings bring to life with a rare vividness the work, ideas, and milieu of Roland Penrose's friend—and the subject of his much-acclaimed 1958 biography—Pablo Picasso.
What makes the notebooks and correspondence so important is also what makes them so exhilarating and fresh. They are not reconstructions after the event, filtered through memory or rephrased with an eye to literary style. The immediacy of the jottings gives the reader the uncanny sensation of actually being present during Penrose's frequent encounters with Picasso and his circle—at home with the artist, at bullfights, at the beach, in the studio.
The book is filled with anecdotes, incidents, sharp details, and actual conversations that are unconstrained by deference, objectivity, or the need for discretion. Confidential, off-the-record remarks made by the artist's family, associates, and former lovers are all here, as are Penrose's own candid observations of Picasso's behavior. Fascinating descriptions of Picasso at work afford rare insights into the making of his masterpieces, including Guernica and other great works up to the time of his death.
Some sixty photographs—mostly taken by Penrose or his wife, Lee Miller—show the colorful cast of characters, from Gary Cooper to Françoise Gilot, from Alfred Barr to Dora Maar, as well as the events and art described, and add to the record of a remarkable relationship. 60 illustrations.
Published here for the first time, these lively writings bring to life with a rare vividness the work, ideas, and milieu of Roland Penrose's friend—and the subject of his much-acclaimed 1958 biography—Pablo Picasso.
What makes the notebooks and correspondence so important is also what makes them so exhilarating and fresh. They are not reconstructions after the event, filtered through memory or rephrased with an eye to literary style. The immediacy of the jottings gives the reader the uncanny sensation of actually being present during Penrose's frequent encounters with Picasso and his circle—at home with the artist, at bullfights, at the beach, in the studio.
The book is filled with anecdotes, incidents, sharp details, and actual conversations that are unconstrained by deference, objectivity, or the need for discretion. Confidential, off-the-record remarks made by the artist's family, associates, and former lovers are all here, as are Penrose's own candid observations of Picasso's behavior. Fascinating descriptions of Picasso at work afford rare insights into the making of his masterpieces, including Guernica and other great works up to the time of his death.
Some sixty photographs—mostly taken by Penrose or his wife, Lee Miller—show the colorful cast of characters, from Gary Cooper to Françoise Gilot, from Alfred Barr to Dora Maar, as well as the events and art described, and add to the record of a remarkable relationship. 60 illustrations.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2006
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About the author
Roland Penrose
107 books6 followersSir Roland Algernon Penrose CBE (14 October 1900 – 23 April 1984) was an English artist, historian and poet.
He was a major promoter and collector of modern art and an associate of the surrealists in the United Kingdom. During the Second World War he put his artistic skills to practical use as a teacher of camouflage.
Penrose married the poet Valentine Boué and then the photographer Lee Miller. He is the uncle of the physicist and polymath Roger Penrose, and the chess grandmaster, Jonathan Penrose.
He was a major promoter and collector of modern art and an associate of the surrealists in the United Kingdom. During the Second World War he put his artistic skills to practical use as a teacher of camouflage.
Penrose married the poet Valentine Boué and then the photographer Lee Miller. He is the uncle of the physicist and polymath Roger Penrose, and the chess grandmaster, Jonathan Penrose.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 11, 2018
Beautifully written and complied with great care, accuracy and attention to detail. Roland Penrose's notes are inserted as he wrote them so he has his own voice rather than being paraphrased and the links and explainations by Dr.Cowling are very informative.
August 21, 2013
My only complaint is that there a passages in French with no translation
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews