Francis Picabia (1879–1953)

Poet, painter, self-described funny guy, idiot, failure, pickpocket, and anti-artist par excellence, Francis Picabia was a defining figure in the Dada movement; indeed, André Breton called Picabia one of the only "true" Dadas. Yet very little of Picabia's poetry and prose has been translated into English, and his literary experiments have never been the subject of close critical study. I Am a Beautiful Monster is the first definitive edition in English of Picabia's writings, gathering a show more sizable array of Picabia's poetry and prose and, most importantly, providing a critical context for it with an extensive introduction and detailed notes by the translator. Picabia's poetry and prose is belligerent, abstract, polemical, radical, and sometimes simply baffling. For too long, Picabia's writings have been presented as raw events, rule-breaking manifestations of inspirational carpe diem. This book reveals them to be something entirely different: maddening in their resistance to meaning, full of outrageous posturing, and hiding a frail, confused, and fitful personality behind egoistic bravura. I Am a Beautiful Monster provides the texts of of Picabia's significant publications, all presented complete, many of them accompanied by their original illustrations. show less

When commenting on the artist’s most influential period of 1924 to 1932, Marcel Duchamp stated that Francis Picabia had added a fourth dimension to painting. Concurrent with investigations by Duchamp and Man Ray, Picabia investigated layers of literal and figurative meaning by juxtaposing Old Master subjects and techniques with references to bibliocal, optic, photographic, opium-inspired, Freudian and occult sources.

- mangiare ostriche a palate nel locale più chic di Parigi
- fiondarsi nella notte da Parigi a Cannes in automobile (con calotta di cuoio, occhialetti e foulard!)
- a Cannes lasciare la propria compagna col suo filarino, salutare la cara contessa lesbica e ritirarsi a fumare oppio coi marinai in licenza (perdere a baccarat è un optional invece)
- ricevere degnamente l'amico americano redattore del New York Times

Un po' come se fossi Francis Picabia ;-)

Catalogue de l'exposition Francis Picabia Singulier idéal du Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris (Nov.2002-Mars 2003). Avec des contributions d'Annie Le Brun, Philippe Dagen, Didier Ottinger, Christian Derouet, Daniel Birnbaum.et des témoignages de Jean Arp, André Breton, Marcel Duchamp, René Magritte, Tristan Tzara, Barry Flanagan, Mike Kelley, Paul McCarty.L'enjeu de cette rétrospective est de dévoiler, en deça de la diversité de l'oeuvre, un "système Picabia".