Did Picasso say: “Good artists copy, and the great artists steal”?

In social networks, you can often find a quote by Pablo Picasso that it is not shameful for great artists to copy, and even more so to steal. We decided to check whether this aphorism belongs to him.

The phrase about artists and theft is found in a wide variety of blogs - from public on VKontakte dedicated to the decadence, before Museums, shops decor and personal Blogs. Of course, there is it in popular collections Quote. But most often the phrase comes across in connection with the statement of the founder of Apple Steve Jobs. In an interview with PBS in 1996, he talked about the work of the creator of computers and brought In the example, this quote is just. Also, the phrase indicating the authorship of Picasso can be found on BBC website In the section "Culture". Finally, in the French version of the art magazine, there is story About how, after this phrase, Picasso was accused in 1911 of theft of the "Jacondas" from the Louvre.

Nor in letters, neither in the diaries of Pablo Picasso quotes, similar to aphorism, “good artists copy, great - steal”, no. It is not possible to find it in accessible memories of Picasso. However, the contemporary of Picasso, the Modern Poetrian, Tomas Sternz Eliot, has the most close quote. In the book “The Holy Forest: Essay on Poetry and Criticism” there is article About the British playwright of the XVII century, Philippe Massenger, a follower of Shakespeare. Eliot in this article and in the collection generally discusses the principles of artistic creation. In particular, the following phrase is found there: “immature poets imitate; Experienced poets steal. ”

Later, this quote was given in a slightly changed form. So, in work About the early work of James Joyce Authority Marvin Magaleiner, the word “imitate” is replaced by “borrow”, and “poet” - with “artist”

IN research The author of Garson O`tul found an earlier version of the statement in 2017 about the incorrect attribution of quotes released in 2017. In 1892 in Gentleman’s Magazine appeared The article “Imits and plagiarists”, where there was a phrase: “Great poets imitate and improve, while mediocre ones - steal and spoil.” But in terms of meaning, it is opposite to what Eliot said.

In one form or another, for several decades, a phrase about imitation and theft appeared more than once. IN book About the music of the 20th century (1967), Peter Yates gave a quote from the composer Igor Stravinsky: "A good composer does not imitate, he is stealing."

The story of the connection of quotes with accusations of theft of the Jacondas arose at all due to confusion. Picasso really suspected involvement in a loud crime. In 1911, the famous picture of Da Vinci Gone From the Louvre, and the police conducted searches from two famous people from the world of art: the poet of Guillaume Apolliner and Pablo Picasso.

Both were detained for several days. But the reason was completely different. Back in 1907, Apolliner bought several ancient figurines from his secretary Geori Pierre Pierre, who later turned out to be stolen from the same Louvre. Apolliner and Picasso tried to get rid of compromising antiquities, but were afraid to throw them into the Sena. As a result, they gave them to a friend of the journalist, but the poet and artist had to spend several days in prison during interrogations. The point was not in untimely aphorism, but in possession of stolen ones. And the picture was found two years later in Florence.

Thus, there is no evidence that the phrase “good artists copy, the great - steal” Picasso belongs. Its closest option came out of the pen of the Nobel Prize in the literature of Thomas Sternz Eliot.

Photo on the cover: "Termnika", fragment/Wikimedia Commons

Incorrect attribution of quote

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. Is it true that Picasso called himself not an artist at his 90th anniversary, but “just an entertainer of the public”?