OP: Picasso, Bon Vivant

Rizzoli, New York, 1996. Hardcover. Near Fine. First US printing.

Still Life with Bread (1909); Ham, Glass, Bottle of Vieux Marc, and Newspaper (1914); Pigeon with Peas (1912); Le Buffet du Catalan (1945); and Lobster in Basket (1965) are just some of the paintings in Picasso’s (1881–1973) oeuvre which betray the importance of the table, of a shared meal, to the artist’s creative practice. These are not just stationary, meaningless subjects, as further evidenced by depictions of vibrant cafes and sculpted plates bearing fish and other ceramic comestibles.

Picasso, Bon Vivant (1996)—without forcing the point—characterizes Picasso’s life and career, first in Spain, then in Paris, and followed by the south of France after WWII, through the food he ate. Though metaphorically suggestive of a hunger for life and inspiration, something more tangible is also very much present in the artwork and in the stories. Each section is punctuated with recipes, either directly referenced in the biography or specifically relevant to the locale.

Ours is a Near Fine copy of the first US printing. An excellent gift for the artistically and culinarily inclined.