Between 1968 and 1972, Pablo Picasso, already over 80 years old, enterprises his last two major graphic works, as a sort of distillation and celebration of his entire career. Those will be, from Mars to October 1968, the "les 347", and, from 1970 to 1972, the "Suite des 156". These print works are proof that, even aged, Picass is still animated by the fire of creation and inspiration.
The great sources of inspiration of Picasso's oeuvre are at the heart of these series: the circus and the funfair, the Old Masters to which Picasso never ceases to measure himself against, the mythological scenes of revelry, and the women. Master of the art of engraving, the artist mostly works directly on the copper-plate, with no preparatory drawings, in a veritable tour de force.
