Picasso Looks at Degas

By Elizabeth Cowling and Richard Kendall With additional contributions by Cécile Godefroy, Sarah Lees, and Montse Torras Silver Medal, 2011 Independent Publisher Book Awards “An excellent catalogue.” —Karen Rosenberg, New York Times Best Art Books of 2010 —Bob Duggan, bigthink.com The great Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) exhibited a lifelong fascination—some might say “obsession”—with the work and personality of French artist Edgar Degas (1834–1917). In this groundbreaking study, noted Degas scholar Richard Kendall and Picasso expert Elizabeth Cowling present well-documented instances of Picasso’s direct responses to Degas's work, as well as more conceptual and challenging affinities between their oeuvres. Richly illustrated essays explore the artists’ parallel interests in subjects including modern urban life, ballet dancers, and intimate activities such as bathing, as well as in the mediums of photography and sculpture. The book also provides the first ext