Picasso, Friends and Family

von Jean-Louis Andral

“He doesn’t bother me,” Picasso commented of the photographerEdward Quinn, after the latter had first photographedhim at work in the ceramics studio in the early1950s. This was undoubtedly one of the reasons why Quinnwas allowed to accompany the artist with his Leica for over20 years from 1951 onwards during his time on the Côted’Azur: in the studio, in private with his family, with artistfriends, at the bullfight, out and about, with lovers or simplyat the hairdresser’s. The Quinn Archive holds a largestock of photographs of great intimacy, showing Picassoin everyday life and documenting his idiosyncratic character,his humor, and his enthusiasm in an amiable andlight-hearted way.Edward Quinn did not use a tripod with his camera, nor didhe illuminate the room artificially; his main concern wasto capture genuine pictures. As a viewer, you find yourselfon eye level with the protagonists. Almost like in the streetphotography we know today, there is a captivating senseof the casual moment. This book is a magical selection ofphotographs from Picasso’s everyday life and shows thefamous artist in many unexpected situations.

From 1949, EDWARD QUINN (1920, Dublin–1997, Altendorf/Switzerland) lived and worked on the Côte d’Azur as a press photographer for international magazines such as Life and Paris Match. During his 20-year friendship with Picasso, he took more than 12,000 photographs of the artist. From the 1960s onwards, Quinn concentrated his work entirely on the art scene, portraying the likes of Max Ernst, Alexander Calder, Francis Bacon, Salvador Dalí, Graham Sutherland, David Hockney and Georg Baselitz.