Picasso en Casa

One day last year Photographer David Douglas Duncan showed up at the ornate villa of Pablo Picasso overlooking the Riviera and Cannes. As an offering, Duncan carried a small, 1st century B.C. carved carnelian that he had found on a photographic assignment for LIFE in Afghanistan. The gift opened Picasso's door and his heart, won what Photographer Duncan wanted--months at home with the great artist. As a result, Duncan took more than 10,000 photographs, last week published in The Private World of Pablo Picasso (Harper; $4.95 ; Ridge Press paperback; $1.50) a photographic record of Picasso's private life. The scenes range from a scrub in a tub and carving a chicken ("Could have been carved just about as daintily--and just as fast--by stuffing it with a hand grenade") to all-night engraving sessions during which "Picasso's companion, Jacqueline Roque, watched him, sleepy and adoring."

The famed clutter of Picasso's studio is by now fairly familiar, with its menagerie of goats, dogs, pigeons, chickens. What Duncan's photo-reporting does is catch the warmth, richness, foolishness and occasional moodiness of the most protean, joyous, impish and intense artist of the century. The most interesting shots are of Picasso hamming it up. Duncan caught him greeting a fine day by dancing on the balcony in a petticoat and an African helmet, wearing an apelike mask, trying a ballet pas de deux with Jacqueline.

To sum up his three months' stay with Picasso, Duncan borrows one of the artist's most exultant shouts, says wholeheartedly: "Es una cosa muy rara! [It's something very rare!]"

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