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Pablo Picasso had one of the greatest and most prolific artistic careers. Piles of books have been written about nearly every aspect of the Spanish artist’s life and work. We have previously tackled Picasso’s Blue Period in our “must-read” series; now we turn to the second half of his career, to coincide with the exhibition Late Picasso, which opened at Stockholm’s Moderna Museet last month. The show was instigated by the curators Dieter Buchhart and Anna Karina Hofbauer, who have selected five key books to help us better understand Picasso’s later years.
Picasso: Painting Against Time (2006), edited by Werner Spies
“This catalogue is devoted to the late phase of Pablo Picasso’s oeuvre, in particular the years 1961 to 1973. During this period, which Picasso spent with Jacqueline Roque in Mougins, a body of work emerged marked by remarkable intensity, formal freedom and thematic radicalism. Contrary to the widespread perception that these late works were characterised by hasty execution and stylistic arbitrariness, the volume reveals how Picasso, driven by a sense of artistic urgency, painted in defiance of his own mortality.”
A Life of Picasso: The Triumphant Years, 1917-1932 (2008) by John Richardson
“Drawing on extensive research, including first-hand interviews and previously unpublished materials, this authoritative biography presents a wealth of original insights. This volume combines a rigorous analysis of Picasso’s artistic production with a richly textured and nuanced account of his complex personal life. An important volume in order to learn more about Picasso’s personal life.”
Picasso: Endlessly Drawing (2024), edited by Anne Lemonnier and Johan Popelard
“Drawing constituted for the artist an enduring and dynamic inquiry into the expressive capacities of line, from his formative studies to his late-period works. This volume, comprising over 300 reproductions, encompasses both canonical and lesser-known pieces, as well as selections from his exceptional notebooks. ”
Picasso’s Animals (2014) by Boris Friedewald
“A charming and insightful exploration of a lesser-studied facet of Picasso’s life and work: his deep and lifelong connection to animals. Drawing on anecdotes, photographs and a wide selection of works, Boris Friedewald organises the book thematically around specific animals that played a role in Picasso’s personal and artistic universe. A beautiful children’s book, not only for children!”
Pablo Picasso: A Retrospective (1980), edited by William Rubin
“Published to accompany the landmark 1980 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, this stands as one of the most comprehensive and visually compelling volumes dedicated to Picasso’s oeuvre. Encompassing nearly a century of artistic production, the catalogue presents over 900 works—including paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and ceramics—offering an unparalleled overview of his prolific and multifaceted career.”
• Late Picasso, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, until 5 April 2026
