Picasso may have the most uncanny line since Botticelli. Each medium or style he chose to master, no matter how solid or sculptural, can be seen as line disguised, metamorphic; as the labyrinth to which a single thread is the key. Theoretically, line is infinite; Picasso in his fertility nearly realized that theory in almost a century of ceaseless drawing, whether on paper, zinc, stone, or other media. Here is a sampling, rather than a comprehensive selection, from that plenitude; while nothing could be comprehensive within a single volume, the genius of Picasso's line manifests itself so clearly that this culling from various periods reveals the line in most of its guises. Beginning with a 1905 circus family in drypoint, 44 drawings cover Picasso's major themes, techniques, and styles. From the almost classic Ingresque clarity of the Diaghilev and Stravinsky portraits (1919, 1920) via cubist studies and "neo-classical" nudes, Picasso's restless hand remakes his world again and again with fresh energy, culminating here in six sketches of the artist/model dashed out in raging love/hate in the midst of personal crisis (1953–54). In between are times of serenity and introspection (Seven Dancers (1919), with the future Olga Picasso up front; many figures and bathers) and, particularity as book illustrations, many mythological studies; Eurydice Stung by a Serpent (1930 etching), Dying Minotaur in the Arena (1933), an etching for a 1934 edition of Lysistrata. Balzac is represented by a striking lithographic portrait (1952) and by etching for Vollard's edition of Le Chef-d'oeuvre inconnu. The sudden appearance of an earthy, hirsute Rembrandt (1934) seems to confirm Picasso's membership in the select group of art history's greatest draughtsmen.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition "Picasso: Themes and Variations" held at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, N.Y., Mar. 24-Sept. 6, 2010.

Picasso's "one-liners" constitute a small but delightful contribution to the artist's great body of drawings. Although his prominence as a draughtsman has long been recognized, the unique nature of Picasso's one-liners has never been fully examined, or collected before in a single volume. These 50 drawings offer a fascinating look at this whimsical side of the artist's work. Color throughout.

The first comprehensive study of Picasso's mastery of line drawing and its centrality to his artistic process This beautiful new study provides an insightful reevaluation of the role of line in the work of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). Picasso pursued drawing assiduously throughout his career, ranging across media such as pen and pencil, charcoal, and papier collé. This book brings together eighty extraordinary drawings spanning the most important phases of Picasso's career. Contributors discuss the artist's intensive exploration of line in relation to three-dimensional form, both in the context of the European artistic tradition and in analyses of selected works. Drawing emerges as central to the artist's process--a creative process that reveals another facet of Picasso's genius for making art out of the simplest of means. The first in-depth exploration of the artist's line drawings, Picasso The Line conveys how essential these powerful works are within the artist's oeuvre. As Picasso himself stated: "line drawings are the only ones that cannot be imitated." Distributed for The Menil Collection Exhibition Schedule: The Menil Collection (09/16/16-01/08/17)

Published on the occasion of the exhibition Picasso Black and White. Curated by Carmen Gimaenez, Stephen and Nan Swid Curator of Twentieth-Century Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York.