Piero Crommelynck, Picasso's engraver, dies at 77

Piero Crommelynck, who along with his brother Aldo served as Picasso's exclusive engraver during the last decade of the artist's life, died in Paris on May 18 at age 77. The Musée Picasso in Paris is hosting a tribute exhibition until October 15, 2001. Crommelynck set up his workshop in Mougins in early summer 1963 to work closer to Picasso, who was then 82 and experiencing a burst of creative energy. Between 1963 and 1972, Picasso produced over 750 engravings, including the famous series 347 and 156 (1970-71). The collaboration was marked by intense friendship and mutual respect, with Crommelynck and his brother adapting to Picasso's erratic creative rhythms on what became known as the "route du cuivre" between their studio and the artist's home. Picasso made numerous portraits of Crommelynck, often depicting him with the tools of his trade, alongside his wife Landa and daughter Carine. Before working with Picasso, Crommelynck had trained at Lacourière's workshop and, with Aldo, opened a studio in 1956 that served artists like Miró, Braque, Masson, Giacometti, Villon, Arp, Hartung, and Delvaux. After Picasso's death, Crommelynck continued his workshop, collaborating with a new generation including Pierre Alechinsky, Titus-Carmel, Louise Bourgeois, and Not Vital.