Saint Matorel.

Pablo Picasso; Max Jacob (poems).

Saint Matorel.

Paris: Henry Kahnweiler,

1911.

Edition of 106. With four Cubist etchings.

Saint Matorel is one of the first books I acquired for my collection of livres d'artistes. It is considered a milestone in the history of Modern Illustrated Books, now extremely rare and, arguably, one of the most important of all livres d'artistes from the viewpoint of art alone because it contains four of the outstanding etchings done during the decisive phase in the evolution of Cubism. The poet Max Jacob was one Picasso’s close friends. Picasso and Miró were the two most prolific creators of livres d'artistes, and Saint Matorel was the second of Picasso's many books.

Peter Strauss