Complicity of Picasso with the Crommelynck brothers
As part of the events celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Picasso's death, Galerie Dutko and the Centre d'Art de Mougins are presenting an exceptional collection of engravings produced at the print studio of the Crommelynck brothers, who worked with some of the most eminent artists of the 20th century, including Picasso.
Milan, Aldo and Piero —sons of the famous playwright and author of Le Cocu magnifique, which Picasso illustrated in 1966— were encouraged by their father to take up drawing at an early age. That was probably the origin of a passion that led the three brothers to begin a printmaking apprenticeship at the legendary Roger Lacourière workshop in Montmartre. The studio worked with some of the leading names in printmaking, such as André Masson, Matisse, Léger and Braque.
In 1956, Aldo and Piero Crommelynck opened their own atelier in Paris, which was frequented by numerous artists, such as Matisse, Masson, Giacometti, Marino Marini, Arp, Villon, Tal Coat, Zao Wou-ki, Hartung, Magnelli, Miró, Michaux, Le Corbusier and Delvaux, to name just a few. Needless to say, Picasso was one of their most faithful visitors.
In the spring of 1963, realizing that Picasso, who had moved to southern France, would not be returning to Paris to work on his etchings, the Crommelynck brothers decided to open a second atelier in the Midi. They set up shop in a former bakery in Mougins, seeking to continue their collaboration with the artist, who was living at the nearby Mas Notre-Dame-de-Vie. Over the next ten years, Picasso produced over 750 engravings with them.
Piero often sat as a model for Picasso, who made over 150 portraits of him using all sorts of different techniques. After the painter's death in 1973, the Crommelynck brothers focused solely on their Paris workshop.
Close to sixty works resulting from this collaboration, some never shown before, will be on view beginning in July 2023 at the newly opened Centre d’Art de Mougins, in the heart of the village. To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Picasso's death, from April to October 2023, the center is holding a series of exhibitions, screenings and tours as a tribute to the artist.
In addition, Galerie Dutko in Paris is offering a selection of works in a dedicated space, the Project Room.
DUTKO, Hommage à Picasso dans la project room
17 quai Voltaire Paris 7e, from June 1 to July 1, 2023.
CENTRE D’ART, Mougins. La route du cuivre : Pablo Picasso et Aldo Crommelynck à Mougins (1963-1971),
from July 1 to October 31, 2023.
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