Pablo Picasso

Own a rare original double-signed Picasso etching, printed by his master printer Aldo Crommelynck. This signed 20th century master print from the Crommelynck archive is a unique collector’s item.

About the Printer: Aldo Crommelynck, master intaglio printmaker

After displaying a youthful talent as a draughtsman, Crommelynck began an apprenticeship with Roger Lacourière, the master printer who had printed Picasso's Vollard Suite in the 1930s. In 1949, Picasso himself asked Crommelynck to rework one of his engravings, as he had become dissatisfied with Lacourière's work. Aldo's innovative approach delighted the artist, and from that moment on the eighteen year-old became Picasso's preferred printer. In 1953, he established his own print workshop with the help of his brothers Piero and Milan. They moved to the South of France in 1963 to be closer to Picasso, and for the next decade worked almost exclusively on the avalanche of etchings he produced in his final years.

Picasso: The Saltimbanques

In 1950 he entrusted Aldo with an image featuring one of his most important early subjects from the Rose Period, that of the saltimbanques (circus acrobats). These performers represented the poor, marginalised and dispossessed, and they became a visual metaphor for how Picasso saw himself in his early career. The result of his collaboration with Crommelynck was this exquisite original soft-ground etching, in which the incredible poignancy of Picasso’s line takes centre stage. Picasso signed it in pencil at the bottom left, and again above the image in red crayon - the only example of a double signing that we’ve ever come across. A defining early image for both men, this work has never previously been framed, and comes to us in original condition from Crommelynck’s own archive. Please note, as is often the case with etchings, the image above does not do this work justice. It is both larger and brighter in the flesh than it appears here.

Crommelynck’s Legacy in Fine Art Printmaking

Following Picasso's death in 1973, Aldo moved back to Paris, where he was sought out by artists such as Richard Hamilton, David Hockney and Jim Dine. In 1985, Aldo moved to the United States and opened a workshop in New York, where he enjoyed great success. George Condo, Jean Michel-Basquiat and Yoko Ono all flocked to his side to learn intaglio printing from the Master. He was awarded the Grand Prix National des Métiers d'Art in 1989.

A Unique Opportunity for Collectors of Picasso

To be able to lay claim to an artwork with such illustrious provenance and such an intimate connection to the artists who created it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. In addition to being a rare, museum-quality etching, Picasso has signed this artwork twice, once in pencil at the bottom of the sheet, and again in red crayon at the top. This is the only Picasso print we have ever seen with a double signature.

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