For the first time, the explicit connection between Japanese erotic prints and the work of Pablo Picasso is revealed in this highly original study. More than twenty previously unpublished Japanese prints from Picasso’s personal collection are illustrated, revealing the influence these ‘secret images’ had on his career. Thought-provoking and careful analysis of the prints is accompanied by reproductions of artworks by Western and Japanese artists. Essays by scholars of Picasso and Japanese art and by curators at Barcelona’s Museu Picasso, examine the spread of Japanese art and its influence in Europe, and look at the impact this had on Picasso’s œuvre.