Pigs

Maker

(artist)
1881-1973

Title

Pigs

Date of Production

1904-1908

Medium

oiled charcoal on wove paper

Dimensions

Height: 21.4 cm
Width: 27.3 cm

Accession Number

D.1978.PG.264

Mode of Acquisition

Count Antoine Seilern, bequest, 1978

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords

Label Text

Picasso spent the summer 1906 in the remote Catalonian village of Gósol, from where he maintained a correspondence with his friend, the American writer Gertrude Stein. According to her autobiography of 1933, Stein “was always fond of pigs, and because of this Picasso made and gave her some charming drawings of the prodigal son among the pigs. And one delightful study of pigs all by themselves”. This drawing is almost certainly Picasso’s gift to Stein and was made in preparation for his painting 'The Swineherd'.

Provenance

given by the artist to Gertrude Stein (1874-1946); lent by her estate for an exhibition in her memory at Galerie Berggruen (Paris), 25 May - 24 July 1954, no. 29; purchased there via Arthur Goldschmidt (Paris) by Count Antoine Seilern, London (1901-1978), 14 May 1954 (380,000 francs); Princes Gate Bequest 1978

Exhibition History

The Spanish Line - From Ribera to Picasso, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 13/10/2011-15/01/2012

Captured on Paper, Animals in the Prints and Drawings Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 20/06/2002-11/08/2002

Material Evidence, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 30/10/1998-24/01/1999 ...More

The Princes Gate Collection - Drawings (Selection B), The Courtauld Gallery, London, 29/01/1982-25/07/1982

Picasso dessins 1903-07, Berggruen & Cie, Paris, 25/05/1954-24/07/1954 ...Less

Literature

Véliz, Zahira, Spanish Drawings in the Courtauld Gallery: complete catalogue, London, 2011
no. 107
ill. on p. 288

Material Evidence, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1998-1999

Johnson, Mia, Teach your child to draw: bringing out your child's talents and appreciation for art, Los Angeles and Chicago 1990
ill.
reqeusted for repr. but no copies in UK to check if it appeared ...More

The Princes Gate Collection - Drawings (Selection B), The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1982
cat. no. 175

Palau i Fabre, Josep, Picasso. Life and work of the early years 1881-1907, Oxford 1981
no. 1221, p. 549
fig. 1221
with incorrect media

Mendelowitz, Daniel M., A guide to drawing, Holt, Rinehart and WInston 1976 (rev. ed.)
fig. 33

Seilern, Count Antoine, Paintings and drawings of Continental Schools other than Flemish and Italian at 56 Princes Gate, London SW7, London 1961; III
no. 264
pl. C

Le dessin de Toulouse-Lautrec aux Cubistes, Musée d'Art Moderne, Paris, 1954
under no. 169

Zervos, C., Pablo Picasso, Oeuvres, Paris 1952
vol. VI, no. 873 ...Less

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: Verso, right of centre, unclear: "EMPIRE [?]".

Inscription: Recto: lower left corner, graphite, signed and underlined: "Picasso" (according to Berggruen, this was added by the artist for the occasion of the 1954 exhibition).

Collector's mark: none.

Information on this object may be incomplete and will be updated as research progresses. We are particularly committed to addressing any discriminatory or offensive language and ideas that might be present in our records. To help improve this record, and to enquire about images of The Courtauld Gallery Collection, please email gallery.collectionsonline@courtauld.ac.uk. Find out more about using and licensing our images.

____________________________

Buy a print from our collection