Picasso Prints

A selection of original prints by some guy named Pablo Picasso. Before you cynically dismiss it as a summer tourist draw, give this show a look and discover what a fine draftsman Picasso was. The lusty Spaniard was a prolific experimenter in prints, and even though he worked with a huge corps of printmakers, he was usually involved in some part of the process. Davidson's collection cherry-picks from several important series. Most famous is "La Suite Vollard," completed in the '30s, the sublime pinnacle of Picasso's gestural line drawings inspired by Greco-Roman art. (The wounded bull and bearded god represent a particularly virile vision of creativity.) The earliest print in the show dates back to 1905, and the lithographs and etchings extend into Picasso's sloppy, heavy-handed work of the '60s and '70s. Some pieces are signed, in case that sort of thing is important to you, though Picasso dished out his signature like candy to his friends. Also on display: woodcuts, lithographs, and etchings by existential Mexican artist Francisco Toledo, including an excellent series based on Kafka's tale "A Report to the Academy." Davidson Galleries, 313 Occidental Ave. S., 206-624-7684. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends June 2.