Medium: Original Lithograph

Date: 1954

Edition: 10,000

Sheet Size: 12 1/2" x 8 3/4"

Signature: Signed in the stone

Reference: Cramer 68

Frontispiece for Boris Kochno's ”Le Ballet.” Published by Arts du Monde / Hachette. Printed by Mourlot Frères, Paris. Text in French. The volume also includes numerous colored illustrations and black & white photographs on the history of the ballet. Simple yet striking, this colorful lithograph masterfully conveys the energy and joy of the ballet. Picasso uses the simplicity of line and a limited palette of four colors to convey the lively yet graceful movement of the dancer.

Boris Kochno (1904-1990) was a Russian-born writer and ballet librettist who collaborated with ballet impresario Serge Diaghilev (1872-1929) during the last years of the Ballets Russes. He was one of the most significant influences on post-World War II French ballet. In his later years, he authored the books Le Ballet (1954) and Diaghilev et les Ballets Russes (1970).