Picasso: Tête-A-Tête

This book was published on the occasion of the exhibition Picasso: Tête-à-Tête at Gagosian, 980 Madison Avenue, New York, presented in collaboration with the artist’s daughter Paloma Picasso.

Drawn largely from Picasso’s estate, the book features over sixty rarely seen paintings, sculptures, and drawings from the full span of his career, from 1896 to 1972. Inspired by the achronological approach that Picasso took when installing his first retrospective in 1932, works from across decades are placed in conversation, encouraging viewers to discover new personal connections and continuities.

Fully illustrated with color plates, including extensive installation photography, the catalogue reproduces all the works in the exhibition alongside details and archival images of the artist and his studios. It includes an introduction by Larry Gagosian; a conversation between Paloma Picasso and artist Peter Doig addressing the inspiration behind the exhibition and recounting her father’s creative life; ＂Hanging with Picasso,＂ an essay by Michael Cary reflecting on the diversity of the artist’s practice; and a translation of a 1932 conversation between Picasso and E. Tériade. The cloth hardcover is housed in a slipcase featuring the painting Fillette jouant avec une voiture (Paloma fond rouge) (1951) and the sculpture Petite fille sautant à la corde (1950).

Paloma Picasso, the youngest of Pablo Picasso’s four children, is the administrator of the Picasso Estate and oversees reproduction and resale rights, trademarks, and other intellectual property issues related to her father’s work. The Picasso Estate is jointly owned by Claude and Paloma Picasso and the grandchildren of the painter. Peter Doig is a painter of Scottish nationality who has lived and worked in Trinidad, Canada, the USA, Germany, and Britain. Best known for his uncanny landscapes, Doig’s work takes in a range of subjects inspired by personal experience, from snowscapes and ski scenes reminiscent of his childhood in Canada, to beach and jungle scenes from the Caribbean. In 2024, he curated The Street at Gagosian in New York. Michael Cary organizes exhibitions for Gagosian, including nine Picasso exhibitions in collaboration with John Richardson and members of the Picasso family. He joined Gagosian in 2008 after six years working with Kynaston McShine, then chief curator at large at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.