Celebrating Picasso: Through the Lens of David Douglas Duncan

David Douglas Duncan is one of the 20th century’s greatest photojournalists. Born and raised in Kansas City, Duncan has photographed all over the world. His work has been featured in National Geographic, Life and the Saturday Evening Post magazines, and he has published 26 books. Enormously versatile, he remains best known for his combat photographs—from World War II to Vietnam—and his uniquely intimate portrait series of Pablo Picasso.

Duncan met Picasso in 1956 and was immediately welcomed into the artist’s home in Cannes, France. The intimacy of their friendship is indicated by Duncan’s very first photograph of Picasso—soaking in his bathtub! Until the artist’s death in 1973, Duncan returned often to visit, creating an unparalleled visual record of the great artist at work and play. The photographs in this exhibition are drawn from Mr. Duncan’s generous recent gift of 161 inkjet prints (printed in 2013) of his key Picasso images to the Nelson-Atkins.