Picasso created gemmail works of art he said " If I were thirty years old I would be known as the Gemmist Braque"

Picasso and the Gemmail

Picasso discovered the Gemmail in 1954 through his friend Jean Cocteau at the Malherbe art studio where he had the opportunity to discover the technique of this original and new form of art. Picasso contemplated the great possibilities that this new artistic expression could offer him to illuminate all his master pieces. He decided to create his first Gemmail art work « Femme dans un fauteuil d’osier » in 1954. He was fascinated by the light , the material and the transparency achieved and then created his self portrait « yo » , followed by the « Femme d’Alger » which he produced several variations at the same time. It was at this time that Picasso realizes the importance , the novelty and the modernity of this new form of artistic expression; he stated enthusiastically :

« A new art is born: The Gemmaux » . He then decided to create sixty major works, reproducing his most prized paintings.

Picasso shared his discovery and his creations with George Braque.The two artists had tried to introduce volume and a new perception of shapes through cubism. Braque who was always looking for new artistic techniques and materials was won over by the Gemmail and created several works himself. He stated : « If I were thirty years old , I would be known as the Gemmist Braque ».

The first exhibition representing a retrospective of Picasso’s works was held in March 1957 at the « Grande Galerie du Faubourg Saint Honoré ». The event was a great success and more than half of the works were acquired by important collectors such as: Raymond Loewy, Stanley Marcus, Nelson Rockefeller, The Prince Rainier of Monaco, the Rothschild family, the Weisweiller family, the emperor of Japan etc…

In the years 1950-1960 the Gemmaux works of Picasso traveled the United States being exhibited in the most important museums : Metropolitan Museum of Art – Art Institute of Chicago – Denver Museum of Art – Museum of Fine Arts, Boston – Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh etc … today some of these works can be found in private collections in the United States, in Japan and in Europe as well as in other museums. The remainder of these works are still in the possesion of the same family; the owners unwilling to part with these art works, knowing the importance given by Pablo Picasso to this work which has been exhibited in important museums.

In 1964 Raymond Nacenta organised an exhibition of a retrospective of Picasso’s Gemmaux works at the the « Galerie Charpentier « , the most famous gallery for contemporary art of that time and which is today known as Sotherby’s.

Femme dans un fauteuil d’osier

First Gemmail from Pablo Picasso

The Gemmail exhibitions

February 1956 Exhibition in Monaco with S.A.S le Prince Rainier de Monaco
March 1957 Retrospective Picasso, Gallery du Faubourg St Honoré, Paris
1959 Museum Galliera, Paris
1961 Exhibition in Monaco, Chapelle de la Paix, with S.A.S le Prince Rainier de Monaco
1961 Museum Galliera (second exhibition )
February 1964 Gallery Charpentier, Paris

U.S.A.
May 1959 Corning Glass Museum, New York
August 1959 Denver Art Museum
Septembrer 1959 Metropolitain Museum of Art, New York
January 1960 Carnegie Institute
February 1960 Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio
April 1960 Art institute of Chicago
May 1960 New York Design Center
June 1960 Inauguration de l’agence Air France, New York
Septembrer 1960 Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh
Septembrer 1960 Virginia Museum of fine Art, Richmond, VA
Octobrer 1960 Museum of Fine Art, Boston
Octobrer 1960 The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland
Novembrer 1960 Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Novembrer 1960 Cincinnati Art Museum
January 1961 High Museum of Art, Atlanta
February 1961 Saint Louis Art Museum
August 1961 Roswell Museum, Nouveau Mexique

JAPAN
1998 Exhibition : Museum Tobu, Tokyo
1998 Exhibition : Museum Sogo, Nara
1998 Exhibition : Museum of Modern Art Ibaraki, Mito
1998 Exhibition : Museum of Art Matsuzakaya, Nagoya

Poster of the Exhibition in March 1957
Rue du Faubourg St Honoré, Paris