Readings.

The Edition

Originally, the linocuts made since the end of the 50’s had been edited in Paris by Galerie Louise Leiris, the former Galerie Simon, established in 1920 by Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, at the time the first admirer, supporter and merchant of Picasso. After a fierce battle, the art dealer and the artist eventually found an agreement and all the linocuts made in that period were sold through the Galerie. One of the primary features of the linogravures is the impossibility to reuse block plates as carving into the block to obtain different colours would practically reduce it to an unusable sheet. While this protected the rights of the exclusive seller, it made it impossible to replicate any work, unless carving again a new sheet of linoleum. And when the French Communist Party turned to Picasso seeking financial help, at the beginning of the 60’s, the artist suggested that a serie of selected linocuts, chosen among those realized in that period, be reprinted for the benefit the publishing house Cercle d’Art, owned by the Party and directed by Charles Feld, a good friend of Picasso.