Offset lithograph, 60 x 44 cm (composition);
Official, limited exhibition edition from 1981 (Fondation Maeght)—a one-time, non-renewable print run.
Publisher: Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul-de-Vence
Art lithograph from 1981 published by the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence to mark the opening of a special gallery dedicated to Picasso’s work (Salle Pablo Picasso).
The figure depicted is Paulo (Paul) Picasso (b. 1921), the artist’s firstborn son from his marriage to the Russian ballerina Olga Khokhlova. In the 1920s, Picasso created a series of famous portraits of his son in various historical and theatrical costumes (including as Harlequin, Pierrot, and on a pony). This 1929 portrait, however, is characterized by exceptional delicacy and a poetic approach.
The figure of Pierrot—a sad, poetic lover and artist—has appeared in Picasso’s work since his “Rose Period.” Dressing his own son as this character imbues the child’s portrait with a theatrical and circus tradition that was extremely dear to Picasso. Unlike his later, Cubist, and distorted portraits, this composition is based on a realistic and extremely lyrical aesthetic, full of paternal warmth.
