The Sketchbook

Pablo Picasso - Detail from a page in Carnet de la Californie (Koln: M. Dumont Schauberg, ca. 1959), a facsimile of a Pablo Picasso sketchbook in the Guggenheim Library Special Collections. Photo: Kristopher McKay (click photo for larger image)In her article entitled Picasso’s Bright, Enticing Sketchbook, New York writer Claire Lui notes that “some of the most delightful books in the Guggenheim Library’s Special Collections are those that are, in some way, the production of an artist. These publications—often labors of love printed in small runs—give us a new viewpoint on a well-known and beloved artist’s process, materials, and surroundings.”

Carnet de la Californie is a facsimile of a sketchbook produced by Picasso while living in Cannes, La Californie. A copy in the Guggenheim Library ( https://www.guggenheim.org/library-archives/library ) is one of a limited edition originally prepared for the German market by publisher M. DuMont Schauberg.

Artists’ sketchbooks and notebooks are essentially visual diaries that give us incredible insights into the souls of their creators. Leonardo da Vinci, Eugene Delacroix, JMW Turner, Vincent van Gogh, Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, Paul Cézanne (all featured on What About Art?) and many other artists have produced “diaries” that give us an intimate perspective on their lives and personalities. They are jewels to researchers and a delight to art aficionados.

Many sketchbooks and notebooks are available in museum libraries across the globe, and you can also purchase them from retailers such as Amazon (which you can connect with from here). As we approach the summer season—take some time to explore some of these works. You’ll be able to “see” the artists truly let themselves go, and will find an enormous amount of joy and inspiration in what you see. They also make great gifts for your friends and family members who love art!