La Tauromaquia

26 aquatints on strong guarro-velin with a watermark designed by Picasso, 1959, Bloch 950 – 976, Baer 970 – 998, Cramer 100
Edition:
263 copies

Watermark bulls head
Alanceando a un Toro
Citando al Toro con el Rejón
El Torero sale en Hombros de los Aficionados
El Arrastre
Muerte del Toro
Despues de la Estocada el Torero señala la Muerte del Toro
La Estocada
Citando a Matar
La Cogida
Suerte de Muleta
El Matador Brinda la Muerte del Toro
Citando al Toro a Banderillas sentando en una Silla
Clavando un par de Banderillas
Citando a Banderillas
El Picador obligando al Toro con su Pica
Echan Perros al Toro
Suerte de Varas
Los Cabestros retiran al Toro Manso
Salto con la Garrocha
Toreando a la Verónica
Citando al Toro con la Capa
El Toro sale del Toril
Suerte Llamada de Don Tancredo
Paseo de Cuadrillas
A los Toros
Toros en el Campo
Couverture

30 preferential editions of which
2 issues with a suite of the 26 aquatints on China,
a suite of 28 aquatints on old Japan,
a suite of 28 prints of the discarded plates,
one print of drypoint from the discarded plates, numbered 1 and 2

10 issues with a suite of 26 aquatints on old Japan,
a suite of 28 prints of the discarded plates,
one print of drypoint from the discarded plates, numbered 3 and 4

18 editions with a suite of 26 aquatints on old Japan, numbered 13 to 30

220 editions on solid guarro-velin, numbered 31 to 250

10 editions for the collaborators on fixed guarro-velin, numbered I to X

3 editions on fixed guarro-velin, 2 of which for the National Library of Madrid, numbered A and B, 1 for the University Library of Barcelona, numbered C.

“La Tauromaquia” is a book on the art of bootfighting, a manual for bullfighters and bullfighting enthusiasts. It was written in 1796 by José Delgado, a famous bullfighter. Francisco de Goya had already depicted the history of bullfighting in 1815 in a print series of 33 sheets to this book, Picasso created a modern version 144 years later.

In 1927, the Spanish publisher Gustavo Gili planned to republish “Tauromaquia” and have Picasso illustrate it. However, this did not materialize. In 1956, Gili’s son took up the project again and Picasso accepted the proposal with enthusiasm. In April 1957, a few days after the Easter Corrida in Arles, Picasso began work. The American photographer David Douglas Duncan, at that time Picasso’s guest in “La Californie”, recorded the creation in words and pictures: “Picasso painted without haste. He began quite simply on the left side and painted to the right. He looked like a medieval scribe writing down a romantic tale of bullfighting… Only a few figures required more than one brushstroke. Each panel was finished in a few minutes. Once he took the brush off the copper, the painting on it was finished, final, forever.” Within three hours, 28 aquatint plates were created in this way.