Etching and aquatint from 1960.
The edition of 32/300 on Arches paper.
Dimensions of work: 50 x 65.5 cm.
Hand signed.
Publisher: Atelier Crommelynck, Paris.
The work is in Excellent condition.
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Pablo Picasso’s Nature morte aux fruits belongs to a period in the 1930s when the artist continuously reinvented the traditional still life. Created in 1936, the composition reflects Picasso’s ability to transform ordinary domestic objects into dynamic arrangements of line, form, and spatial tension. Rather than presenting fruit and vessels in a purely realistic manner, Picasso reduced them into expressive shapes and rhythmic contours, balancing elements of representation and abstraction. The work demonstrates his enduring dialogue with earlier still-life traditions, particularly those of Cézanne and the Spanish bodegón, while simultaneously asserting the radical visual language that defined modern art.
Several decades later, the composition was translated into the medium of aquatint with Picasso’s approval and published in an edition of 300 by Atelier Crommelynck in Paris. The Crommelynck workshop became closely associated with Picasso’s late printmaking activity and was internationally recognized for its exceptional technical mastery. Through the aquatint process, the richness of tone, texture, and expressive quality of the composition was preserved while giving the image a distinct graphic presence characteristic of Picasso’s celebrated print oeuvre.
The present example, numbered 32 from the edition of 300, bears Picasso’s hand signature together with the publisher’s blindstamp, confirming its place within the authorized edition printed by Atelier Crommelynck, Paris. Picasso’s direct involvement in inspecting and signing these impressions reflects the importance he attributed to printmaking as an original artistic practice. Today, works such as Nature morte aux fruits remain highly regarded among collectors for their combination of intimacy, technical sophistication, and the timeless vitality that characterizes Picasso’s art.
