First Edition Lithograph After Picasso's Vallauris Linocuts
While living in Vallauris in the late 1950s, Pablo Picasso sought a way to create prints without the delay of sending materials to his usual lithographers in Paris. In collaboration with local printer Hidalgo Arnéra, he turned to the linoleum cut or linocut, eventually mastering a revolutionary "reduction" technique. By carving and printing from a single block for every color pass, the process effectively destroyed the block as it progressed, ensuring the original editions of 50 sold by Gallerie Louise Leiris, remained strictly limited.
To share these vibrant works with a wider audience without devaluing the originals, Picasso teamed up with art historian Wilhelm Boeck for the introduction, renowned German lithographer Helmut Brüllmann KG for printing, and Editions Cercle d’Art for publication in 1962. These first-edition lithographs were faithfully reproduced at about 42% of their original size, capturing the intense color and tactile energy of the Vallauris editons. Today, these 1962 Picasso Linocut prints are highly sought-after collectibles, prized for their historical significance and exceptional print quality.
Artwork Details
- Artist: Pablo Picasso
- Medium: Lithograph (after Linocut)
- Edition: 30/250
- Signature: Unsigned
- Paper Size: 13"x10 3/4"
- Printer: Helmut Brüllmann KG, Stuttgart
- Publisher: Editions Cercle d'Art, 1962, Paris
- Reference: Orozco Book Illustration No. 214, p.312
Includes COA from Gold & Silver Pawn Shop