Pablo Picasso Picador et cheval (Picador and Horse), 1959 displays a familiar scene. Created as a linocut, this artwork is a testament to Picasso’s ability to create in any medium. Before us, a man gently grips onto the saddle of his horse. He wears a giant hat, his pants decorated with large round buttons and his boots bear sharp stirrups. The horse is lightly sketched, its big eye looking attentively towards the viewer. In every way, the picador appears like a Picador readying for the next bullfight. Bullfighting was a much loved Spanish tradition in which Picasso enthusiastically participated. It was said that eventually the master often occupied the front row of the stadium. He pays homage to this beloved aspect of Spanish culture by rendering both the horse and man with carefully etched lines. These lines emphasize delightful details such as the plumage atop the man’s hat and the horse’s perked ears. These seemingly minute details unite to add a sense of genuine charm to the image.

Created in 1959, Pablo Picasso Picador and Horse (Picador et Cheval) is a color linocut on Arches paper hand-signed by Pablo Picasso (Malaga, 1881 - Mougins, 1973) in pencil in the lower right margin. Numbered from the edition of 50 in pencil in the lower left margin, this work was published by Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

Pablo Picasso Picador and Horse (Picador et Cheval), 1959 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work):

1. Baer, Bridgette. Picasso Peintre-Graveur, Tome V – Catalogue Raisonné de l’œuvre grave et des monotypes, Berne: Editions Kornfeld, 1989. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 1237.
2. Bloch, Georges. Picasso Catalogue de l'ouvre gravé et lithographié, Volume I. Kornfeld et Cie: Switzerland, 1968. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 912.
3. McVinney, L. Donald, et al Picasso Linoleum Cuts: The Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kramer Collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Random House, 1985. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 27.
4. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

About the Framing:

Framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, Pablo Picasso Picador and Horse (Picador et Cheval), 1959 is presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.