first edition
by (PICASSO, Pablo)
Artist’s port. on title, seven black & white full-page illus. [18] pp. (incl. title-page). 8vo, orig. printed wrappers, illus. to lower wrapper, staple-bound. Madrid: ADLAN, 1936.
First edition of the scarce catalogue for Picasso’s first retrospective exhibition in his homeland. This momentous presentation was organized by the Amigos de las Artes Nuevas (ADLAN), an arts organization started in Barcelona with the mission of furthering contemporary art in Spain. Picasso’s work had barely been shown to the Spanish public, and the artist was personally involved with the negotiation of important loans for the exhibition – he even loaned four paintings from his personal collection. Paintings were borrowed from Tristan Tzara, Maurice Raynal, Jacques Lipchitz, Marie Cuttoli, Christian Zervos, Lise Deharne, Georges Wildenstein, among others.
The retrospective traveled to three cities in Spain: Barcelona (13-30 January) at the Sala Esteva gallery; Bilbao (19-25 February) at Galeria Arte; and Madrid (7-25 March) at Centro de la Construcción.
The check-list of works exhibited is on the inside of the upper wrapper, with the provenance of works noted. Most of the catalogue is an extensive biography of the artist, rounded out with sections on his artistic periods to this point, important exhibitions, interpretations of his work, etc. The rest of the text is an invaluable bibliography. Seven full-page black & white reproductions of Picasso’s work are at the end.
A near fine copy of the first edition of a rarity; minor wear to the edges. A second edition – bearing “Segunda Edición” on the lower wrapper – was published, and besides small type-setting adjustments to the upper wrapper, we have not detected any textual variations.
❧ The Museu Picasso Barcelona’s online interactive “Picasso 1936. Traces of an Exhibition” (accessed July 2025). (Inventory #: 11005)
First edition of the scarce catalogue for Picasso’s first retrospective exhibition in his homeland. This momentous presentation was organized by the Amigos de las Artes Nuevas (ADLAN), an arts organization started in Barcelona with the mission of furthering contemporary art in Spain. Picasso’s work had barely been shown to the Spanish public, and the artist was personally involved with the negotiation of important loans for the exhibition – he even loaned four paintings from his personal collection. Paintings were borrowed from Tristan Tzara, Maurice Raynal, Jacques Lipchitz, Marie Cuttoli, Christian Zervos, Lise Deharne, Georges Wildenstein, among others.
The retrospective traveled to three cities in Spain: Barcelona (13-30 January) at the Sala Esteva gallery; Bilbao (19-25 February) at Galeria Arte; and Madrid (7-25 March) at Centro de la Construcción.
The check-list of works exhibited is on the inside of the upper wrapper, with the provenance of works noted. Most of the catalogue is an extensive biography of the artist, rounded out with sections on his artistic periods to this point, important exhibitions, interpretations of his work, etc. The rest of the text is an invaluable bibliography. Seven full-page black & white reproductions of Picasso’s work are at the end.
A near fine copy of the first edition of a rarity; minor wear to the edges. A second edition – bearing “Segunda Edición” on the lower wrapper – was published, and besides small type-setting adjustments to the upper wrapper, we have not detected any textual variations.
❧ The Museu Picasso Barcelona’s online interactive “Picasso 1936. Traces of an Exhibition” (accessed July 2025). (Inventory #: 11005)
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