Printed Later.
This work is framed in the artist's frame and measures 16.75 x 13.75 inches.
Throughout his career, Peter Beard has created iconic portraits of prominent figures in contemporary culture. Befriending his subjects, Beard goes beyond typical portraiture and draws on personal experiences and intimate moments that he has shared to fully represent his friends’ personalities. In ‘Picasso @ Frejus’, Beard photographs the famous artist intently observing the bullfights in the South of France. A known bullfighting enthusiast, Picasso often referred to his passion in his artwork through representations of bulls and matadors. Similarly, Beard personifies Picasso’s spirit, devotion, and sense of adventure through incorporated illustrations in blood that allude to the danger and thrill of the sport. Beard, who also has spent a lot of time in the South of France, executed this work from his home in the Bouches-du-Rhône 'department' of the South of France and inscribed it at the top, "Greetings and regards from Cassis, B du R".
Attracted to the idea and process of personal preservation, Peter Beard (b.1938) began taking photographs at an early, viewing them as an extension of his written diaries. Two years before starting at Yale University, North Haven, CT in 1957 as a pre-med student, Beard traveled to Africa where he was enthralled with the culture, landscape, and natural wildlife that would help sway his interests towards art history, and compel him to focus on his art. Upon graduating from Yale in 1961, Beard began working with Karen Blixen, author of ‘Out of Africa’, ‘Shadows in the Grass’, and ‘Gothic Tales’. The two traveled to Kenya, Africa where Beard worked at Kenya’s Tsavo National Park, photographing and documenting the rapid demise of the country’s wildlife, which he parlayed into ‘The End of the Game’ books, published in 1965 and 1977.
Beard’s concern with Africa has been realized in numerous books, articles and through his photographic work for over 4 decades. In addition to his own work, Beard has befriended and collaborated with many artists, including Andy Warhol, Andrew Wyeth, Richard Lindner, Terry Southern, Truman Capote, and Francis Bacon. His work was first exhibited in 1975 at Blum-Helman, New York, NY, with his first solo show two years later at the International Center of Photography, New York, NY. Since then, Beard’s work has been heavily sought after and widely exhibited throughout the world. His photographs have appeared in shows at Michael Hoppen Gallery, London, UK; Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; The Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN; Galerie Kamel Mennour, Paris, France; KunstHausWien, Vienna, Austria; and Seibu Museum, Tokyo, Japan.
