Irving Penn, Pablo Picasso, 1957, Sammlung F.C. Gundlach, in: Ulrike Schneider & Thomas Weskin (Hg.): Spectrum-Photogalerie 1972–1991. Ein Rückblick. Ausgewählte Fotografien (Ausstellungskatalog, Sprengel-Museum Hannover, 21. Juni–3. September 1994), Hannover 1995, S. 69. (Joachim Giesel Archiv)
Pablo Picasso is the most famous artist of the 20th century. As a master of self-staging, his images are hardly less well-known than his artistic oeuvre. However, the privilege of recording the universal artist is only granted to “a few very great photographic personalities”, as Joachim Giesel emphasized in his speech at the opening of the exhibition Picasso in Photographs on 27 January 1987. It takes a special effort for the gallery owners to get hold of the precious and scattered exhibits. In addition to works by Bill Brandt, Herbert List, Arnold Newman and Brassaï, the female view of “the greatest genius of our century” is also represented with a photograph by Madame d’Ora. The American photographer Irving Penn portrayed Picasso in 1975 in his legendary Villa La Californie in the south of France, where he staged the artist in his very own way in a disguise consisting of a felt hat and a scarf embroidered with a floral pattern – a mantilla, which is worn in Spain on special occasions such as bullfights. With the right side of his face in shadow, Picasso fixates the viewer with his left eye, in which the photographer himself is reflected. Giesel highlights the iconic photograph as “one of Picasso’s most expressive portraits”. His introduction to the exhibition enables the audience to gain access to the photographs and thus recognize their artistic potential.
Mathilde Blum