Pablo Ruiz Picasso (Malaga, 1881 - Mougins, 1... Lot n° 55

Pablo Ruiz Picasso (Malaga, 1881 - Mougins, 1973) Le repas frugal Year 1904. Etching and drypoint engraving on Japan paper. 45,1 x 37 cm. Our work is a rarity, as there are very few copies of this print published on Japan paper. It is one of Picasso's most important engravings, belonging to the Blue Period (1901-1904), in which the master depicted the outcasts of society and the bohemian districts of Spain and Montmartre, where he lived at the beginning of the 20th century. Picasso's budget in those years was limited, so, as he had done on other occasions, he reused an engraving plate, in this case from the painter Joan González, Julio González's brother. The remains of the earlier etching can be seen in the vegetation in the background, in the upper right of the print. Ambroise Vollard, Picasso's dealer at the time, bought the plate of 'Le repas frugal' and, together with 11 drypoints and two additional etchings created by Pablo Picasso between 1904 and 1906, he published the set as an edition in 1913, titling it the 'Suite des Saltimbanques'. The margins are missing and there are minor restorations. This engraving has a current export license from the Spanish Ministry of Culture. Bibliographic reference: - Bloch 1, Geiser 2