Pablo Picasso and Gertrude Stein Correspondence Edited by Laurence Madeline Translated by Lorna Scott Fox

Beautiful book this one published by Seagull Press Pablo Picasso and Gertrude Stein Correspondence Edited by Laurence Madeline Translated by Lorna Scott Fox.
It's the beginning of 1900 and Paris is the most fertile center of attractions for writers, painters and in general, creatives.
Legend tells that Gertrude and her brother Leo, Americans met, while they were walking, although legend adds that it was not a casualty because they had heard of him, this young painter, Pablo Picasso.
He was still penniless but plenty of enthusiasm and energy and projected in a still unknown bright future.

His being Spanish was a treat beloved and appreciated by Gertrude as she would have said also in his writings and played an important role in this long friendship. Leo and Gertrude  Stein felt artistic love at first sight for Pablo Picasso.

They became inseparable; Picasso was often invited by the Steins to their house, and not only: he found someone who realistically believed in him and could sort out most of his problems, financial ones as well.
Gertrude Stein was for all her life patron, friend of writer of this hurricane of painter.

Not only: the writer started to feel Pablo Picasso in a deepest dimension creating a strong intellectual connection, dependence and veneration for him; the situation if at first accepted by the brother of Gertrude, Leo, with the time became impossible and Leo, decided of moving on, leaving alone Pablo and his beloved sister Gertrude.
Decades after these discussions Leo requested a favor to Picasso:  to add his signature at some drawings he bought decades before because, for financial problems he had the necessity of selling them.
In the while the friendship between Gertrude Stein and Picasso became more intense; yes there were common interruptions that exists and are physiological when an artist as Picasso became famous, and started to travel a lot, discovering a places in turmoil as Spain was,  or when they both experienced what wars meant; substantially, the veneration of Gertrude Stein for Picasso didn't never change.
Later she would have given hospitality to the son of the painter, and since her financial possibilities permitted her to do that, she bought many paintings of his pupil.
Not only: she also asked for being portrayed by him.
It is not distant to add that Gertrude Stein considered Picasso a creature created by her, or if not created by her, grown up by her, inspired by her.
When she didn't hear from him often, she sent to Picasso various short letters for asking him of letting her know where he was, what he was doing, what was going on in his life.

Gertrude stayed in contact with Picasso substantially for all her life and her death meant to Picasso the end of a long and important part of his life. There were also polemics moments of course during this long friendship and sometimes Picasso complained; but always, always considered Gertrude Stein an exceptional human being.

You mustn't imagine long letters in this book because these friends lived pretty closely when both in Paris; telephone existed and they loved to share a lot of time together.

This book contains a lot of postcards sent and received by the protagonists of this book, like also a lot of pictures of paintings by Picasso.

You will adore this book, the historical moment, and notes long and accurate will transport you in that fertile artistic period clarifying the parallel history that these two creatives and their friends lived.

Who edited this book loved the topic immensely and you will feel it.

I thank Seagull Press and Chicago University Press for the physical copy of this book.

Anna Maria Polidori