Lecture | Picasso: Printers, Art Dealers, and Lovers by Jay A. Clarke

Through Picasso: Fifty Years Later, the Elmhurst Art Museum is participating in the worldwide Picasso 1973-2023 Celebration, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death in 1973. One of numerous exhibitions taking place across the US and around the globe,Picasso: Fifty Years Later reflects on the artist in three parts: a section dedicated to introducing Picasso in the context of his contemporaries such as Alexander Archipenko, Wilfredo Lam, Fernand Léger, and Joan Miró; a gallery exploring the demanding process of Picasso’s printmaking; and a presentation of contemporary figurative artists including Laura Berger, Liz Flores, Richard Hull, Leasho Johnson, and José Lerma.

A highlight of Picasso: Fifty Years Later is the debut of Picasso and the Progressive Proof: Linocut Prints from a Private Collection, a gallery-sized exhibition within the exhibition curated by Richard P. Townsend. Picasso and the Progressive Proof features seventeen progressive proofs showing the detailed steps--and demanding printmaking processes--that allowed Picasso to experiment with recurring themes throughout his career.

Following its presentation at the Elmhurst Art Museum, Picasso and the Progressive Proof: Linocut Prints from a Private Collection exhibition will travel to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art (August 2024), Hilliard Art Museum at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (February 2025), and Vero Beach Museum of Art (October 2025), accompanied by a full color exhibition catalogue.

Co-curated by John McKinnon and Richard P. Townsend

Picasso and the Progressive Proof: Linocut Prints from a Private Collection is organized by Townsend Art Advisory LLC. 

With thanks to Presenting Sponsor: Wintrust Bank and additional sponsorship by Anonymous, Sally J. and Raymond J. Allen, Marcia Goltermann, Gigi and James Owens, Tony & Mary Ann Pasquinelli Foundation, Gary Metzner & Scott Johnson, Discover DuPage, the Illinois Office of Tourism, and Lakeside Bank. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Jay A. Clarke, Rothman Family Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago, gives a lecture on the many ways Picasso’s life and art intersected with others, specifically his printers, art dealers, and lovers. Clarke connects themes between Picasso: Fifty Years Later and the Art Institute’s Picasso: Drawing from Life, the two Chicagoland exhibitions taking part in the worldwide Picasso 1973-2023 Celebration.