Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) - Galerie 65, Cannes (Hibou, verre et fleur)

Pablo Picasso Galerie 65, Cannes (Hibou, verre et fleur), 1956 Original color lithograph / original lithographic poster Printed by Mourlot, Paris Vélin d’Arches with Mourlot watermark Luxury edition of 125 copies, outside the ordinary edition of 2,000 posters Hand-signed in blue by Pablo Picasso Approximately 72 × 53 cm conceived by Pablo Picasso in 1956 for the exhibition held at Galerie 65, Cannes, from August 14 to September 30, this composition belongs to a particularly fertile chapter of the artist’s graphic production: those exhibition posters in which Picasso did not merely authorize the reproduction of an existing image, but created a work specifically intended for the lithographic medium. The composition revolves around a small repertoire of motifs deeply linked to Picasso’s personal universe during his Mediterranean years: the owl, the flower, and ceramic vessels. The image takes on the immediate appearance of a drawing executed with freedom, built from broken lines and color surfaces with a pronounced texture. Violets, greens, blues, and earth tones layer over the light paper background, while text and image cease to function as independent elements to merge into a single pictorial structure. The inscription “GALERIE 65 CANNES,” Picasso’s name, and the exhibition dates thus form an inseparable part of the composition. The seemingly spontaneous character of the drawing—emphasized by the granular nature of the lithographic process—preserves the energy of the original gesture and gives the poster a presence much closer to an autonomous graphic work than to a mere promotional print. Edition de luxe and rarity of the copy Within the publishing history of this work, a fundamental distinction must be set. Alongside the ordinary edition of 2,000 posters intended for a considerably wider circulation, an extraordinarily reduced luxury edition of only 125 copies on Vélin d’Arches was produced. The present copy belongs to this second and far scarcer run. The difference is substantial. The luxury edition represents a production equivalent to only one sixteenth of the ordinary edition, and was also produced on a specifically differentiated support. Therefore, even though it is already uncommon to find well-preserved copies of the 1956 poster, the appearance of one of the 125 copies on Arches is considerably more exceptional. Thus, it is not simply a better-preserved version of the usual poster, but one of the few sheets belonging to the luxury edition, material and editorially differentiated from the 2,000 copies in the ordinary circulation. This run must also be distinguished from the independent graphic edition of 100 signed and numbered copies, produced in a different sheet format. The present copy corresponds specifically to the poster in its luxury edition of 125 copies on Arches, preserving its own format of approximately 72 × 53 cm. Its singularity is further increased by the particular characteristics of this sheet. Vélin d’Arches bears the Mourlot watermark and the copy is also autographed in blue by Pablo Picasso at the bottom. The presence of this signature is especially significant precisely because the copy does not belong to the separate edition of 100 signed and numbered copies. It is one of the 125 copies of the luxury edition of the poster that additionally bears the artist’s handwritten intervention. Thus, the importance of the copy must be understood through the accumulation of a series of progressively rarer circumstances: the original 1956 poster; its very reduced luxury edition of only 125 copies on Vélin d’Arches compared to 2,000 of the ordinary edition; the Mourlot watermark; and finally Picasso’s blue autograph. It is precisely this combination that bestows on this sheet an exceptional singularity within Galerie 65, Cannes’ edition and clearly separates it from the copies usually found of this poster. Condition The copy is in excellent condition, especially notable for a paper work created in 1956 and preserved for about seven decades. The support retains an excellent overall presence and the colors retain notable freshness, intensity, and surface richness, allowing the characteristic texture of lithographic printing to be clearly appreciated. Both the blue autograph and the Mourlot watermark features remain clearly recognizable. It shows only a slight crease, barely perceptible when viewing the work as a whole, which does not significantly interfere with the composition or alter its visual reading. Beyond this minimal issue, the condition of the copy demonstrates particularly careful conservation over its roughly seventy years of existence. Overall, we are dealing with a copy of special relevance: one of only 125 posters in the luxury edition on Vélin d’Arches, compared to 2,000 in the ordinary edition, bearing the Mourlot watermark, hand-signed by Pablo Picasso in blue and preserved in excellent condition. The convergence of these characteristics makes this sheet a particularly rare and complete manifestation of one of Picasso’s most characteristic lithographic posters from his Mediterranean period.

Stima:€5,500

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