Pablo Picasso — La Chute d’Icare
Decoration du Foyer des Délégués – Palais de l’UNESCO, Paris
Publisher: Albert Skira, Geneva
Text: Jean Leymarie
Year of publication: 1972
Portfolio size: approx. 69.4 × 49.5 cm
Copy: No. 277 / 500
Condition: Mint – complete portfolio
Description
La Chute d’Icare is a major late Picasso portfolio directly linked to the artist’s monumental mural commission for UNESCO, Paris. Conceived between December 1957 and January 1958, the mural was inaugurated in 1958 and consists of forty painted wooden panels, covering nearly 100 square meters in the Foyer of the Delegates.
This portfolio documents Picasso’s entire creative process, from preparatory drawings to fully resolved color compositions, illustrating the evolution of one of his most ambitious public works. The theme of Icarus is treated symbolically, with standing and reclining figures animated by a central falling body, set against the vast blue surface of the sea.
Contents (as issued for copies 126–500)
This example, numbered 277 / 500, belongs to the standard edition without the original etching and contains:
7 original color lithographs, after Picasso, representing key compositional studies for La Chute d’Icare
80 lithographic plates reproducing Picasso’s preparatory drawings and studies
Complete printed text by Jean Leymarie, documenting the UNESCO commission, Picasso’s working method, and the historical context of the mural
All plates are lithographically printed, loose as issued, and housed in the original publisher’s portfolio, bearing Picasso’s handwritten title reproduced on the cover.
Edition Structure
Total edition: 500 numbered copies
Copies 1–125: with original signed etching (not applicable here)
Copies 126–500: without etching (this example)
Catalogue References
Cramer: no. 155
Bloch: 2016
Orozco: Picasso – 70 Years of Book Illustration, no. 255
Condition
Portfolio complete
Sheets fresh and clean
No foxing, staining, or handling defects
Original portfolio intact
Overall condition: mint
Significance
This portfolio represents one of Picasso’s most important late editorial works, combining original lithographs, extensive preparatory material, and a direct link to a major international public commission. Copies from the standard edition, such as this one, are particularly valued for their documentary completeness and visual coherence, offering a comprehensive insight into Picasso’s working process at the culmination of his post-war period.
