a world-famous artist by the name of Pablo Picasso.

Antony Penrose, now a British author, will speak at the Art Gallery of New South Wales on Wednesday 29 February 2012 at 4.30pm about his boyhood memories of his famous playmate: their pretend bullfights on the floor, the messiness of Picasso’s house in France, the goat that slept in a crate outside Picasso’s bedroom, and of course the famous ‘biting’ incident of the title of his book, The boy who bit Picasso.

This delightful children’s book is a wonderful introduction to Picasso. It tells the true story of Antony Penrose – son of the photographer Lee Miller and the painter and writer Roland Penrose – and his childhood friendship with the great artist. Vividly recalled is the pair’s shared love of animals, enthusiasm for games and evident joy in art, as well as the many happy hours spent on Tony’s farm in England and in Picasso’s own cluttered houses and studios in France. Some sixty-five illustrations accompany the text, including a plethora of Picasso’s artworks, plus evocative archive photography by Lee Miller.

Antony Penrose is also the author of two collections of his mother’s photography, Lee Miller’s War and The Lives of Lee Miller.

This talk will be given in association with Picasso: masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris which is on at the Art Gallery of New South Wales until 25 March.