OH WHAT A PLEASURE
Back from Turkey and onto Roubaix. An hour and a half door to door trip for me. The last Picasso exhibition had been in Switzerland. This time it was a very different discovery. An intimate portrait done by the photographer David Douglas Duncan of Picasso over 17 years. I had planned to do this trip at the beginning of February.
A little about «La Piscine». Or perhaps the Pool. An Art and Industry museum located in Roubaix which is about a 10 minute train ride from Lille in the north of France. It once housed a indoor swimming pool with a very art deco interior. The pool was closed in 1985 and remodeled into a museum which opened in 2000. The entrance is rather cold and off putting but once inside it is delight
I had planned to arrive from Paris at the end of the morning. Most people are eating at this time and museums tend to be pretty empty.
This was the first image that greeted me. Stunning.
Between 1956 and until the end of Picasso’s life, David Douglas Duncan penetrated into the artist’s life. Although the years we saw were based mainly in 1956 and 1957, there were a few photos in the 70’s. They give a remarkable vision of a man who seemed to be very human, warm with a fantastic sense of humour. Most of the photos come from private collections and many have not been shown before.
Duncan was above all a war photographer which made him well known especially after the Korean and Vietnam wars. A friend suggested that he should meet Picasso. He forced his visit in 1956. Jacqueline dragged him up the stairs of their residence in Cannes - La Californie - to find Picasso in his bath. It must have been a marvelous relationship which is certainly felt in his photographs.
Living in La Californie could have been a nightmare for someone as tidy as myself. Picasso repatriated all his paintings and work from Paris when he moved into this house in Cannes in 1951. Nothing was classified by year but by size and as he was the most prolific artist of the 20th century, the house was rather crowed. Every square inch seemed to have some picture, sculpture ....occupying space. For nearly six months there was no furniture apart from a few chairs and cooking utensils.
Picasso was a minimalist in his work and such a photo shows how he started. This became one of his well known portraits of Jacqueline in a couple of hours.
He recuperated everything and anything that came his way. Sculptures well known and not so well known could be made up of toy cars, cups handles, bicycle seats ....
Of course you may not have finished your fish before Picasso cleaned the back bone and lo and behold it was pressed into a plate and a new fish was born.
When Duncan took a photo of his eyes, in seconds we are told, Picasso cut out the mask and turned the photo into a «self portrait». (Photo at the entrance of the museum).
His steel plate sculptures are a delight too. Sometimes created from paper and then transfered onto steel plates. In one year alone he created over 100 of such small designs.
Seeing the photography of how he worked and his relationship with friends, family was like entering into his kingdom. The photos are often so intimate and warm. Instead of taking time to see the other exhibitions in La Piscine, I rushed through those and came back to a virtually empty exhibition of Picasso. Like visiting "La Californie". Was Gary Copper there ? Would Yves Montand pop in? Jean Cocteau ? Would the children be playing in the salon? Skipping maybe or clowning with their father ? And there was Picasso dancing with Jacqueline or alone or pretending to be in a bull fight....Somehow, I was there....
 |
| Inside the museum |
 |
| Art Deco arch |
 |
| Entrance to La Piscine |
I had planned to arrive from Paris at the end of the morning. Most people are eating at this time and museums tend to be pretty empty.
 |
| Self portrait 1957 |
This was the first image that greeted me. Stunning.
 |
| La Californie 1957 |
Duncan was above all a war photographer which made him well known especially after the Korean and Vietnam wars. A friend suggested that he should meet Picasso. He forced his visit in 1956. Jacqueline dragged him up the stairs of their residence in Cannes - La Californie - to find Picasso in his bath. It must have been a marvelous relationship which is certainly felt in his photographs.
Living in La Californie could have been a nightmare for someone as tidy as myself. Picasso repatriated all his paintings and work from Paris when he moved into this house in Cannes in 1951. Nothing was classified by year but by size and as he was the most prolific artist of the 20th century, the house was rather crowed. Every square inch seemed to have some picture, sculpture ....occupying space. For nearly six months there was no furniture apart from a few chairs and cooking utensils.
 |
| Duncan 1957 |
 |
| Duncan 1957 |
 |
| A first line 1957 |
Picasso was a minimalist in his work and such a photo shows how he started. This became one of his well known portraits of Jacqueline in a couple of hours.
He recuperated everything and anything that came his way. Sculptures well known and not so well known could be made up of toy cars, cups handles, bicycle seats ....
 |
| tete de taureau (1953) 1957! |
 |
| La guenon et son petit 1951.... |
Of course you may not have finished your fish before Picasso cleaned the back bone and lo and behold it was pressed into a plate and a new fish was born.
 |
| Recuperating a fish bone 1957 |
 |
| Nature morte avec trois poissons 1957 |
 |
| A simple little Owl 1961 |
 |
| Jacqueline 1962 |
When Duncan took a photo of his eyes, in seconds we are told, Picasso cut out the mask and turned the photo into a «self portrait». (Photo at the entrance of the museum).
His steel plate sculptures are a delight too. Sometimes created from paper and then transfered onto steel plates. In one year alone he created over 100 of such small designs.
Seeing the photography of how he worked and his relationship with friends, family was like entering into his kingdom. The photos are often so intimate and warm. Instead of taking time to see the other exhibitions in La Piscine, I rushed through those and came back to a virtually empty exhibition of Picasso. Like visiting "La Californie". Was Gary Copper there ? Would Yves Montand pop in? Jean Cocteau ? Would the children be playing in the salon? Skipping maybe or clowning with their father ? And there was Picasso dancing with Jacqueline or alone or pretending to be in a bull fight....Somehow, I was there....
Commentaires