PICASSO? WHERE? HERE? MONMARTRE?

juin 17, 2014

The word Picasso - yes, it sends me racing to « Where can I see the exhibition? ». There are millions of « me » out there and I would think for a million different reasons. Picasso was there, but the title for the exhibition was intriguing. « Picasso à Montmartre. Le BD « Pablo » par Julie Birmant et Clement Oubrerie." Everyone understands that. Comics? Picasso? And two other names that certainly didn’t ring a bell.   

Marielle had never been to the Montmartre museum. I had, but when was the last time? Do you have that problem ? « A year ago perhaps? » and then you discover it was much longer than that. Yes, I had been there with a very good friend in October 2012. « A RETURN TO LA VIE BOHEME». I read that chapter with a great deal of interest and frankly it says everything about the museum that I feel today.

Looking at Sacré Coeur from the gardens

I love that tree trunk....

Don't you?

Le Lapin Agile - a play on words around the cartonnist Gil

The famous poster by Eugène Grasset

So where was Picasso in this? Marielle who had never seen the museum gave me the opportunity to go again. I would have without her but it’s always a pleasure to share something with her. This time it was not a chateau or in her immediate art interest, it was mine.

Upon entering....

About to enter

And a front page cover

This story is one we didn’t know.   Picasso at 20! This is the subject of a series of four comic strip books by Julie Birmant and Clément Oubrerie. NO, I knew nothing about them and NO, I don’t like books of this nature. But Picasso? There is enough on Internet to find out about the books, but oh dear you have to look once, twice and more to even come up with this…..

Julie Birmant and Clement Oubrerie imagine life when Picasso was twenty years old: this is the concept of the wonderful comic book series first published in January 2012 Dargaud.
On the occasion of the publication of the fourth and final book in the series, the Musée de Montmartre features original drawings by Clement Oubrerie integrated into the galleries and completed works and documents preserved at the Museum (including photographs, drawings, books and so on).

Montmartre of the 1900s comes to life: the world of Pablo Picasso and Fernande Olivier, the two romantic heroes of the comic, but also the Montmartre of the poets from Max Jacob to Guillaume Apollinaire, Braque and many other... the man behind many magnificent celebration venues from the Cirque Medrano to the Bateau-Lavoir.

Well I know she is from Belgium and I an hoping that I have got the right man…..

Clément Oubrerie was born in Paris in 1966. After a stint in art school he spent two years in the United States doing a variety of odd jobs, publishing his first children’s books and serving jail time in New Mexico for working without papers. Back in France, he went on to a prolific career in illustration. With over 40 children’s books to his credit, he is also co-founder of the 3-D animation studio, Station OMD. A drummer in a funk band in his spare time, he still travels frequently, especially to Ivory Coast. In Aya, his first comic, Oubrerie’s warm colors and energetic, playful line connect expressively with Abouet’s vibrant writing.

What is interesting is that Julie stumbled upon a nearly forgotten book back in 2012. « Intimate Memories » and from the first line, we learn that Fernande was Pablo Picasso’s companion throughout his bohemian life and the first (of many) loves for them both. It may have been the most important love of her life. Alas, no-one knew who she was after the Picasso years....clean forgotten......

Juile Birmant was determined to tell the story of that life in order to bring the Memories back to the surface. A book? A film? Too costly, so why not a series of comic books written in the first person? By Fernande herself. I doubt if it is she but probably a close resemblance to Julie who plays and remembers « La Belle Fernande ». The Illustrator was found and he was Clément Oubrerie.

Pablo is the central figure although Fernande is telling the story. We are drawn back into the Paris of 1900. Pablo sees it with his eyes wide open - those eyes we know so well.

Clément Oubrerie

He is no longer on a pedestal but a young man of 20: poor, a day dreamer but of course, someone with great ambition. I doubt if the story, as it is told can be taken at face value, but the boards are marvelous depicting people of the period who made his name, Apollinaire, Stein, Jacob, and many others….I loved the boards and imagined my own story behind each one. Sometimes the English translations from the French were ridiculous and even obscene which added even more to the period in question.

Clement Quouberie - Gurtrude Stein, Alice Toklas and Picasso looking at Demoiselles....

Apollinaire, Fénéon and PC in front of the Demloiselles

part pf the story with Fernande

Pablo and Fernande in front of the café of horrors

Outside View of Moulin Rouge

"Do you have exhibition"? "Never"

Clement Oubrerie - Picasso painting the Demoiselles

Fernande

"What lovely arm pits"

with Toulouse Lautrec, Emile Bernard, Louis Anquetin 1885 (photo below)

The circus and surely inspiration for Picasso's famous curtain

Max Jacobs - directly on the wall

Directly on the wall

with Toulouse Lautrec, Emile Bernard, Louis Anquetin 1885

Photo of Picasso dedicated to Suzanne Valadon 1904

In the shop I looked at the four books. Would I read them? NO, I wouldn’t. So will just have to content myself with these memories and another Pablo which we don’t hear much about.