Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)
Le Tricorne. Ballet d'après les dessins en couleurs de Picasso
Éditions Paul Rosenberg, Paris, 1920
Copy No. 168/250
Widely regarded as one of Pablo Picasso's earliest and most important illustrated portfolios, Le Tricorne documents the artist's celebrated collaboration with Serge Diaghilev's legendary Ballets Russes. Published in Paris in 1920 by the renowned dealer Paul Rosenberg, the portfolio reproduces Picasso's costume and stage designs for the ballet Le Tricorne (The Three-Cornered Hat), first performed in London in 1919 with music by Manuel de Falla and choreography by Léonide Massine.
A landmark publication in Picasso's bibliography, Le Tricorne occupies a pivotal place in the artist's transition from Cubism to his Classical Period and remains one of the most iconic examples of his involvement with theatre and stage design. The edition was limited to 250 numbered copies, of which the first 50 were issued with an original etching and accompanying suites. This example belongs to the principal edition and is numbered 168/250.
The portfolio contains 32 plates, including 31 colour pochoirs, faithfully reproducing Picasso's original costume and set designs. These vibrant compositions are among the most celebrated images associated with the Ballets Russes and represent a key chapter in the history of modern art, theatre and book illustration.
This particular copy is further distinguished by its historic Parisian provenance, bearing the stamp of A. Prévost, Peintre-Décorateur, 189 Rue Ordener, Paris XVIII, and by the presence of a handwritten Picasso signature on the justification page, a feature not commonly encountered on standard examples of the edition and of considerable collector interest.
References: Cramer 8; Bloch 34.
A landmark publication of early twentieth-century modernism and one of Picasso's most significant and sought-after illustrated portfolios.
