ORIGINAL LITHOGRAPH 1957
By Pablo Picasso
* From his collection 40 dessins de Picasso en marge du Buffon
* Printed by Robert Blanchet
* From a limited edition of 2,000 only
* Published by Jonquières, Paris
* Gallery Quality Printed on heavy Arches paper
* Size 28 cm width x 38 cm
In 1943, Picasso brought his lover, the Surrealist photographer and painter Dora Maar, a copy of the Histoire naturelle that he had dedicated to her. While at her studio, he decorated the margins and blank pages with human heads, animals, and fantastical creatures, with Maar herself as a bird-woman sphinx on the title page. The dedication, “per Dora Maar / tan rébufona!” (for Dora Maar, so pretty!), is a pun on the name Buffon and the Catalan word for “pretty,” bufó.
*An original fine art lithograph is not just a cheap mass produced print.The process is far more complicated and therefore valuable and collectible. In short, Lithography is a method of printing using a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface to which the design & ink is applied. A limited edition lithograph is an original graphic created by the artist in a small print edition or run.
The process of printmaking requires a balance of creativity and skill using traditional techniques. It’s the amount of impressions 'pulled' from each 'plate' or stone that gives each print its scarcity.
Because of the unique history of each item, collectible prints often appreciate in value over time due to their rarity and age. This makes them an excellent investment.
