Book cover of A Day with Picasso by Billy Klüver

A Day with Picasso

Twenty-Four Photographs by Jean Cocteau

Billy Klüver

A detective story in which two dozen undated snapshots are pinned to a single Montparnasse afternoon in 1916.

Billy Klüver took twenty-four undated snapshots from a Montparnasse afternoon and worked out, from shadows, clothing and the angle of the light, that they were taken within a few hours in August 1916. He identified the photographer as Jean Cocteau and the subjects as Picasso, Modigliani and their circle. A forensic reconstruction of a single day.

View on Amazon Local bookstores

Share:

Recommended by 1 Person

Errol Morris

Documentary Filmmaker and Writer

We knew very little about these photographs – the circumstances, how many there were, who took them, you name it – until Billy Klüver set for himself this project of trying to figure it all out. He did a forensic investigation of the photographs and discovered that they were taken by Jean Cocteau of his friends Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani et cetera. It’s a true detective story about photography.

Interview · September 2011

As an Amazon Associate, bookstoread.org earns from qualifying purchases. Links to Amazon on this page may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Spotted an error on this page? Tell us and we will fix it.