Picasso and Balzac: the etching suite «Le Chef-d'oeuvre inconnu»

Honoré de Balzac’s novella «Le Chef-d'oeuvre inconnu» tells of the painter Frenhofer, who seeks to force absolute perfection — and reworks his masterpiece until, to others, it is nothing more than a shapeless mass of paint. This conflict gripped Pablo Picasso, who recognised himself in Frenhofer’s struggle for artistic truth. His suite of etchings for the novella reflects his own engagement with the myth of the artist.

The myth becomes reality

Picasso’s involvement with the subject went far beyond the prints: in 1937 he deliberately moved into the studio in the Rue des Grands-Augustins — the exact, fictional setting of the novella. It was there that he created «Guernica» shortly afterwards. The portfolio thus links literature, art theory and what is probably Picasso’s best-known work.

The complete series of 13 etchings on offer was published in 1931 as a separate suite in an edition of 99 and comes from the estate of Hans Erni — together with his personal Leica M3 and other items from his possession. The suite was estimated at CHF 40,000.

It was offered at the Autumn Auction 2025 — the same auction at which the Ben Nicholson sculpture from the Erni estate caused a stir.