Abstract 1 Picasso Looks at Degas

This is the first issue of a new collection being published by the Museu Picasso on the occasion of the exhibition Picasso Looks at Degas. Under the generic name of Abstract, and with an approach similar to that of what are known in France as petits journals, the Museum aims to give the public an outline of the contents of its temporary exhibitions. To this end we have selected some of the best works, grouped them into thematic areas, and provided them with short explanatory texts and quote passages from the exhibition catalogue.

Thanks to the two curators of the exhibition, —Elizabeth Cowling and Richard Kendall, recognized authorities on Picasso and Degas, respectively—, and to a spectacular selection of images, we can delve into the complex meshes of affinity that link these two crucial figures of modern painting. The essays here reveal the artists’ parallel interests in themes of urban life, dance, brothels or scenes of women at their toilette, and their shared passions for sculpture and photography. This catalogue  represents a significant addition to the existing literature on both artists.

Design: Jason Ellams.