John Richardson: A Life of Picasso I: The Prodigy, 1881–1906

This book is the softcover edition of the first volume of John Richardson’s definitive four-part biography A Life of Picasso, first published in 1991. Living near Picasso in the South of France for a decade, Richardson befriended the artist, gaining firsthand knowledge of his life and work. Following Picasso’s death, Richardson continued his research through unparalleled access to the artist’s studios and papers, and collaborated with Marilyn McCully to complete this account.

Profusely illustrated with 890 images of the artist and his work, this volume offers an in-depth narrative of Picasso’s first twenty-five years in vivid, accessible prose. It traces Picasso’s development from his childhood and adolescence in Málaga, La Coruña, and Madrid; his early artistic formation in Barcelona; and the travails and ambitions of his initial years in Paris. Enriched by Richardson’s deep account of cultural history, this book is essential to understanding Picasso’s emergence as an artist.