Le Chef-d'oeuvre inconnu (The Unknown Masterpiece)

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published 1931, reworked late 1950s

Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973)
written by Honoré de Balzac (French, 1799-1850)
etched by Louis Fort (French, 19th-20th century) and engraved by Georges Aubert (French, 1886-1961)
published by Ambroise Vollard (French, 1867-1939)
binding by Henri Creuzevault (French, 1905-1971)

Picasso’s illustrations for Honoré de Balzac’s short story The Unknown Masterpiece included engravings, line drawings, and etchings. Balzac’s tale of a misunderstood artist who works in secret on an “unknown masterpiece,” appealed to Picasso. He made unusual line and dot drawings, which he later heightened with crayon, dedicating it to the book’s first owner, art dealer Henri Matarasso (1892–1985).

Status: On View, Gallery 126
Department: Prints and Drawings

Artist: Pablo Picasso
Title: Le Chef-d'oeuvre inconnu (The Unknown Masterpiece)
Place: Spain (Artist's nationality:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1931
Medium: Book with 12 etchings hors-texte, 67 wood engravings, and crayon, with black morocco binding
Dimensions: 32.5 × 25.3 cm (12 13/16 × 10 in.)
Credit Line: Bequest of Maxine Kunstadter
Reference Number: 1978.645
Copyright: © 2018 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Goeppert, Goeppert-Frank, & Cramer 19

Bloch 82-94

Baer & Geiser 123-134

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