Saturday 5 January 2008

One artist and his dog


David Douglas Duncan’s Picasso & Lump: A Dachshund's Odyssey published in 2006, reveals dramatic and intimate black-and-white photographs of Picasso and Lump, the lucky dachshund who found his way from reluctant road warrior to furry, super-stretched icon of twentieth-century art.
Here is an extract from the book jacket text:”One spring morning in 1957, veteran photojournalist David Douglas Duncan paid a visit to his friend and frequent photographic subject Pablo Picasso, at the artist's home near Cannes. As co-pilot alongside Duncan in his Mercedes Gullwing 300 SL was the photographer's pet dachshund, Lump. Photographer and dog were close companions, but Duncan's nomadic lifestyle and his other dog — a giant, jealous Afghan hound who had tyrannized Lump — made their life in Rome difficult. When they arrived at Picasso's Villa La Californie that magical day, Lump decided that he had found paradise on earth, and that he would move in with Picasso, whether he was welcome or not.
This joyous, previously untold story of artist and his dog offers an uncommonly sensitive image of Picasso. Lump was immortalized in a Picasso portrait painted on a plate the day they met, but that was just the start. In an explosion of forty-five paintings inspired by Velázquez's masterpiece Las Meninas, Picasso replaced the impassive hound in the foreground with jaunty renderings of Lump”.
All those luminous canvases are the centrepiece exhibition in the Picasso Museum of Barcelona. Fourteen of the paintings are reproduced in the book, juxtaposed with Duncan's dramatic and intimate black-and-white photographs of Picasso and Lump.

9 comments:

jmb said...

What a lovely story Eurodog and another book I shall keep my eye out for.

Anonymous said...

Hi Eurodog, thank you for sharing this story. My friend had 2 dachshunds called Tigger and Binky. They were beautiful. Binky got runover some years back and was killed instantly but Tigger lived to a ripe old age.

You asked about the labrador in the picture on my blog. He is Saracen. He belongs to our good friends who have been staying with us over the New Year period. He's 8 years old and an absolute gentleman. Fortunately he is very laid back and got on very well with Molly and Sparky.

Sparky is doing really well. I take her to the vet tomorrow to either have the bandage changed or removed. The wound on her leg has healed very nicely and she is back to normal - driving us all mad! But I prefer her like that. We have been discussing her having professional training soon for sheep dog work. I shall keep you posted. Thank you for your interest.

Best wishes, Crystal xx

Whispering Walls said...

That's very moving. Lump has a lovely face. One of my neighbours tells me that Fudge the cat is determined to move into my house. I haven't seen him yet this year though.

Mopsa said...

http://cdn.overstock.com/images/products/L10707383.jpg
I have a print of the lovely Lump's portrait on my wall

Eurodog said...

jmb,
Yes another book for you to read. Maybe your local library can get it for you.
crystal,
I am so glad sparky is doing well. That is really good news. I look forward to hearing about the training for sheep work. That will be fun. Will be thinking of you tomorrow morning.
WW,
You must be a very special person; cats do not just take a liking to somebody.
mopsa,
cannot open the link. Not sure about dachshunds as dogs but OK as work of art.

Eurodog said...

mopsa,
OK have just found the drawing. Beautiful movement in its simplicity. Like it.

Ellee Seymour said...

This was news to me, how very interesting.

Unknown said...

Such a nice photo. I will try to look up those paintings!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

I can't believe I've missed so many of your posts!! - Sorry. Anyway, a lovely story.