The Man With the Blue Guitar, a poem by Wallace Stevens, was first published in 1937. It is divided into thirty-three brief sections, or cantos. The poem has been discussed as taking the form of an imaginary conversation with the subject of Pablo Picasso’s 1903-04 painting The Old Guitarist, which Stevens may have viewed when it was exhibited at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1934. But Stevens insisted this influence was only peripheral. In a letter dated July 1, 1953, to Professor Renato Poggioli, who had recently translated his poem into Italian, Stevens wrote: “I had no particular painting of Picasso’s in mind and even though it might help to sell the book to have one of his paintings on the cover, I don’t think we ought to reproduce anything of Picasso’s”. Hockney did just that, and it is very lovely indeed!
The Blue Guitar. Etchings by David Hockney who was inspired by Wallace Stevens who was inspired by Pablo Picasso. London, Petersburg Press, 1977. Original boards with paste on well preserved and unclipped dustjacket. Interior clean and bright. 51 pp. Near fine / fine copy
First trade edition
Phaidon, 2000. Oblong 8vo brick-size book, paper covered hardcover boards with 575 plates of the artist’s “word” work, most in color. A little wear to corners else clean and overall very good First edition
Out of Stock
“Aagaard Andersen”. Copenhagen Edition / Thorsen & Mollerup, 1985, 176 pages, illustrated throughout. Velbevaret pænt eksemplar med kun lidt brugsspor / Above average copy, clean and well preserved with only minor edgewear
Sophienholm, 1979. Original heftet omslag. Upagineret. Gennemillustreret bog sammensat af Gernes selv og med 2 små anhængte tekster af Bjørn Nørgaard og Per Kirkeby
