Dos Contes [Two Tales]

Pablo Picasso

Published by Editorial Albor, 1947

Dos Contes was the first book of illustrations by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) to be published in a language other than French. First published in the Catalan language in 1947, Dos Contes presents Picasso's illustrations of two short stories by the Catalonian writer Ramón Reventós Bordoy (1881-1923). A lifelong friend of Picasso, Reventós had enjoyed some acclaim as a journalist and writer of fiction but after his early death, his writing fell in obscurity. As a posthumous homage to his friend, in 1947 Picasso illustrated the short stories El capvespre d'un faune [The evening of a faun], and El centaure picador [The centaur picador]. Picasso later wrote to Reventós' nephew that 'I loved your uncle so much that, when it occurred to me to make him acknowledged here, in Paris, because this boy did not enjoy the success that he deserved, it was during the war. I often went to the National Library, on foot, with all of the dangers that this entailed, in order to copy these two stories, and I copied them all by hand. Someday I will show you in my own handwriting.' Although Picasso would later say that 'in Paris I never drew fauns, centaurs or mythological heroes', these stories allowed the artist to return to Mediterranean subjects and Greco-Roman mythology, two themes that would continue to return throughout his career. This copy from the first edition in the Catalonian language is numbered 97 of 230. Another copy from the first edition is currently held in the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Seller Inventory # ABE-1757761098021

Bibliographic Details

Title: Dos Contes [Two Tales]
Publisher: Editorial Albor
Publication Date: 1947
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: Near Fine
Edition: 1st Edition