Published in conjunction with the first large-scale retrospective of Picasso’s sculpture in the United States since The Museum of Modern Art’s historic show of 1967, Picasso Sculpture is a sweeping survey of the artist’s profoundly innovative and influential work in three dimensions. Over the course of his long career, Picasso devoted himself to sculpture wholeheartedly, if episodically, using both traditional and unconventional materials and techniques. Unlike painting, in which he was formally trained and through which he made his living, sculpture occupied a uniquely personal and experimental status in Picasso’s oeuvre. He kept the majority of his sculptures in his private possession during his lifetime, and it was only in the late 1960s that the public became fully aware of this side of his oeuvre. Picasso Sculpture presents more than 100 sculptures – many of them captured in newly commissioned and sometimes multi-view photographs – alongside a selection of works on paper and photographs. Organized into chapters that correspond to distinct periods during which Picasso devoted himself to sculpture, the publication features an introduction by the exhibition curators as well as a richly illustrated documentary chronology focusing on the sculptures included in the exhibition. A comprehensive bibliography and list of historic exhibitions related to Picasso’s work in sculpture closes the volume, advancing the understanding of Picasso’s practice and lifelong commitment to constant reinvention.
