Today in Las Vegas Magazine

The Master's Obsession

One of the most recognizable artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso, is almost as well-known for his personal life as for his paintings. With the majority of his work spanning the 20th century, Picasso ranks as one of the top-selling artists, with his paintings ranking as some of the most expensive in the world such as “Nude on a Black Armchair,” which sold for $45.1 million; “Les Noces de Pierrette,” which sold for more than $51 million, “Dora Maar au Chat,” sold for $95.2 million; and the most expensive one to date, “Garcon a la pipe,” which sold for $104 million.

This exhibition is dedicated to Picasso’s greatest obsession, his love for printmaking. Although a great painter in his own right, Picasso was unsurpassed as one of the most skilled printmakers of the last century. While he dabbled in every imaginable medium, including tapestry design, ceramics and sculpture, his dedication to copper plate etching, lithography and linoleum cut printmaking occupied a great deal of his continuing interest and energy.

This lifelong pursuit of all printmaking possibilities led Picasso to create many of the most incredible prints since Rembrandt’s time. No other 20th century master delved into this creative venture as deeply as Pablo Picasso… this was his obsession.

A chat with Richard Perry, President of Centaur Galleries, revealed a little about the process of setting-up an exhibition of this scale. “We’ve been working on it for about two and a half years, since the last show we had on Picasso in 2005. When the show ended, we immediately began collecting things for the next show, which we try to do every few years or so.” He adds, “Much of this depends on our ability to find really good material with really good prices. The pricing is 25 percent higher this year, compared to two years ago.”

It all starts with a wish list and a really good set of “runners” (shall we say, “art hunters,” instead) who are based in the most cosmopolitan cities in Europe – London, Paris, Rome, Madrid and Basel. Based on the gallery’s specs, these ‘runners’ then begin hunting down art being sold, attending auctions, estate sales and even going as far as checking obituaries.

This exhibit was no less stringent in its search. In the 27 years that Centaur Galleries has been open, this will be the 11th Picasso exhibition to run. The 2005 exhibit focused on ceramics and prints, while the upcoming show will highlight copper plate etching, linoleum cut printmaking and lithography. About 20 ceramics (of the 100 that Picasso has made) will also be in show, along with more than 300 Picasso masterworks.

Rest assured that its origin has been authenticated and you’re buying the real-deal. Mr. Perry adds, “We own the artwork, we don’t believe in consignment. If you don’t have a vested interest in your product, there’s a great temptation to overlook the quality of your product. We want to control it. We want to be able to send things back; when we purchase something, we expect it to be pristine.”

An art lover, we asked Richard Perry if he ever buys anything for himself, to which he replied, “No.” He added, “I’ve got a rule in my company that the customers get the first choice… we keep it here for a while, and choose afterwards, but we let the customers get the first choice.”

So this holiday period, give the iPods, Plasma TVs and jewelry a break, and invest in art, instead. It’s probably the only thing you’ll purchase this year that will appreciate in value.

-Rachel M. Sugay