Help with print

[4keeps707]

Hi..I was wondering if someone could tell me what kind of print this is? I was thinking it was a poster but I see brush strokes on the black. And the creases and veining on the picture seems odd. I have hardly any knowledge of art except I think I am a bit good at identifying water color and oil but not good at all in prints, lithographs, etchings etc. Walking out with it, someone said it was a watercolor..huh? which, made me curious and had me looking at it more closely. Now I have no clue as to why I see brush strokes and veining. Not sure if it had been rolled up would it have contributed to that? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[sonomabarn67]

I dunno, I live within 100 miles of Clar's and they go thru a lot of staff with varying degrees of accuracy. Since there is such a controversy over this print I maintain that the Zervos Catalogue Raisonne I mentioned should be viewed as the final word. That's the reason they put the good information in the Raisonne. My advice is that the OP should only rely on on examples that cite Zervos as a primary source of info.

[argon38]

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@sonomabarn67 wrote:

My advice is that the OP should only rely on on examples that cite Zervos as a primary source of info.

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My thinking was that a dealer or gallery might have access to that resource, or at least be able to tell OP by inspection whether they have a litho, woodcut, serigraph, or whatever. The catalogue raisonné will doubtless have the authorised publication history, but even that won't necessarily settle the question of whether the OP has an original or a copy.

[sonomabarn67]

You're right but  my method provides a most-important doorway to get to that goal. Only search for items that have the words  Picasso (name of print) and Zervos. Get the source and specifics, then tackle the authentic aspect.

[sonomabarn67]

Also send a letter to a few high end Picasso galleries and see how they describe it.

[4keeps707]

This is so damaged that I don't think it would be worth taking to a gallery. I didn't know about all the different types of prints and variations, but I did know there was something different because when I did look at it thru the loupe, it wasn't like the other prints I have and the way it was cracked and veined was unusual to me especially since it was't a painting. I thougnt someone here would know just by a glance. I appreciate all the input I am receiving alot to take in. 

[argon38]

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@sonomabarn67 wrote:

You're right but  my method provides a most-important doorway to get to that goal. Only search for items that have the words  Picasso (name of print) and Zervos. Get the source and specifics, then tackle the authentic aspect.

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But there aren't any online listings of this print which reference the catalogue (not that I can find, anyway). If there were, it would be easy.

[sonomabarn67]

You would be taking it to a gallery for information, nothing more. You want to find out what  type of print it is and compare it to the Zervos entry. As argon mentioned, they may have that information. If you are going to do that make sure it is with a proper Picasso gallery.

[4keeps707]

My question to both argon38 and sonomabarn67, if this was yours, would you take it to a gallery or dig further looking into Zervos knowing the condition it is in? Funny thing is, everyone I showed it to at a glance, knew exactly who the artist was. Even my grandkids. So it says alot about this artist. I had no idea they would know. 

[sonomabarn67]

Again, "You would be taking it to a gallery for information, nothing more."

[4keeps707]

true...sonomabarn67. If you are in Sonoma, which is about 30 miles from where I am, would you know where I could take it? I have no idea where galleries are, maybe San Francisco? Sausaliito? Walnut Creek?

[argon38]

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@4keeps707 wrote:

My question to both argon38 and sonomabarn67, if this was yours, would you take it to a gallery or dig further looking into Zervos knowing the condition it is in?

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If it were mine, I would want to find out as much as I could - out of interest, as much as anything else. I still think you should get in touch with the academic who runs the Picasso Project website I mentioned, to see if you can get a username and password:

https://picasso.shsu.edu/ 

I have a vague memory of using that site when it was still open-access; as I recall it was very informative. You could research a Picasso artwork by year, title, etc.

[argon38]

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@argon38 wrote:
I still think you should get in touch with the academic who runs the Picasso Project website I mentioned, to see if you can get a username and password

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I don't mean you should ask him to identify the print for you - just say you'd appreciate access to the database (if at all possible) to research it on your own. It's worth a try, anyway.