Picasso. La joie de vivre (1945-1948). [English Ed.]

A unique perspective of Picasso seen through 120 works including paintings, drawings, ceramics, and sculptures from the outstanding collection of the Picasso Museum of Antibes.
When in 1946 Picasso received the offer to use one of the great rooms in the castle at Antibes as a studio, he exclaimed enthusiastically: "I'm not only going to paint, I'll decorate the museum too". The result was a series of paintings and drawings - on rather unusual supports due to the shortage of materials in the post-war period - that reflected the jubilant spirit, the joie de vivre, of a country that was free once more.
Picasso later added sculptures, graphic works and ceramics to this collection, forming the basis for what would be France's first museum dedicated to him, inaugurated in 1966 as Musée Picasso, Antibes.
This catalogue, published in conjunction with the exhibition of Palazzo Grassi, comprises a great selection of the most outstanding works from the Musée Picasso of Antibes, a large number of which have never been shown beyond the museum's walls. These include the murals La Joie de Vivre (The Joy of Life) (1946), The Sea Urchin Eater (1946) and the impressive sculpture Head of Woman with Chignon (1932). In all, nearly 120 works, featuring paintings, drawings, sculptures and ceramics that serve to illustrate a splendid period in Picasso's artistic career.
The volume also features a fascinating selection of photographs of Picasso by the Polish artist Michel Smajewski, better known as Michel Sima. Taken whilst the Picasso was working in Antibes, these photographs provide an artistic and historical complement to the volume, portraying the context in which Picasso created the works.