Artist: Pablo Picasso
Title: Notre Dame de Vie. 1966
Medium: Original Linocut Printed in cream white ink, then washed in black India ink and rinsed so that the lines become black
Serie: Unique
Year: 1966
Edition: 150

Publisher-editor: Éditions Cercle d'Art, Paris. Printed by Arnéra, Vallauris
Bibliograph/Published: Georges Bloch: Volume 1 - Catalogue de l’oeuvre grave et lithographie : Number 1230
Brigitte Baer: Picasso Peintre-Graveur, Volume V, Catalogue raisonne e de L’oeuvre grave et de monotypes 1959 - 1965 : Number 1848.B
Alan Wofsy Fine Arts: The Picasso Project “The Complete Linocuts 1939 - 1968” Number L-188
Mallan Enrique (Online Picasso Project) Number 66.012
Cramer: Number 134
Sizes: Image 38 × 33 cm, Paper 43.3 × 38 cm
Signature: Signed  on pencil
This piece is sold unframed

Publish and Known at the begining for the publication of Hélène Parmelin (August 1915, in Nancy – February 1998, in Paris) who was a French novelist, journalist and art critic, best remembered for her novel La Montée du mur (1950) which was nominated for the Prix Fénéon in 1951. A prolific essayist and art historian, especially on the works of Pablo Picasso and her husband Édouard Pignon (February 1905 – May 1993) a French painter, good friend of Picasso with who he share experiences in the last studio of the master, Notre dame de Vie. It can be intended also a portrait of Pignon (even if for the t-shirt with stripes can be identified as Picasso himself).

This Portrait of Pignon or self portrait was scarved on linoleum in his Villa “Notre dame De Vie” (From this the name of the piece) in an old age, When Picasso wasn’t traveling much and dedicate all his last years to editions and graphic thecnics,  as the Linocut in white ink, brushed over with Indian ink wash and rinsed.

Picasso created this image from the block of  linocut using an experimental technique known as rinsed linocut printing. First, Hidalgo Arnéra printed the image using greasy white ink on paper. The result was rushed to Picasso's home and rinsed with water-based Indian ink over the bath.

The bare paper absorbed the dark ink while the areas with white ink repelled it.

A local printer, Arnéra, suggested that Picasso try linoleum as a cheap printmaking technique. After this, and for the next 10 years, Picasso immersed himself in linocuts. They still remain relatively rare in his oeuvre, encompassing only about 150 out of more than 2,000 prints, and are highly valued by collectors.

Linoleum was invented by Frederick Walton (UK) in the mid-1800's, first patenting the material in 1860. At that time, its main use was that of a floor material, and later in the 1800's as actual wallpaper. However, by the 1890's artists had started to use it as an artistic medium.