30 April to 9 July 2005

Pablo Picasso, The Horse, 1942 (c) Succession Picasso/DACS 2002

This series of thirty-one prints is considered by many to be among Picasso's most important graphic productions.  In them, the artist depicts animals, birds, insects and other creatures.  Begun in 1936 for the picture dealer Ambroise Vollard, Picasso created these images to accompany the classic 18th century text, Histoire Naturelle, by the French naturalist, Georges-Louis Leclerc Buffon

Combining a wide variety of techniques, including lift-ground aquatint, etching and drypoint, Picasso produced images of great clarity, immediacy and beauty.  The prints, accompanied by extracts from BUffon's text, were published in 1942.

Picasso selected 31 animals described in the book and etched them, from his mind's eye.  The results, while not taken from real life, are both incredibly detailed and attractive works.  Picasso's joyful evocation of the natural world is often considered one of his greatest graphic works and has been called 'one of teh great Bestiaries of the twentieth century'. 

A National Touring Exhibition organised by the Hayward Gallery on behalf of the Arts Council of England.