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Pablo Picasso , Spanish, 1881-1973

Title

Two Seated Dancers of Les Ballets Russes, Monte Carlo

Date1925

MediumGraphite and wash on paper

Dimensions

51 x 40.7 cm

Signedupper right (in graphite): 12 Avril 1925. 13 " Picasso

Credit LinePresented, Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, 1953

Object numberNGI.3271

DescriptionIn April 1925 Picasso was staying in Monte Carlo at the invitation of Serge Diaghilev, director of the Ballets Russes. Although in the past Picasso had designed a number of productions for the ballet company, by spring 1925 he was no longer working for them. Nevertheless, he remained in close contact with Diaghilev. This drawing of two dancers reading a paper during a break is one of a series which shows the same pair in a similar pose, using various types of line and shading.

Picasso was one of the greatest artists of the 20th century and a master of many styles. During the first years of the century Picasso and Braque together developed Cubism, which was characterised by the use of a limited range of colours and the division of the object or figure into fragments. Later, in the early 1920s, Picasso turned to the more classical and figurative style seen in this drawing. Throughout his career Picasso drew inspiration from his female companions often changing his style and subject matter at the beginning of a new relationship. It is therefore not surprising that at this time, during his marriage to the ballet dancer Olga Kokhlova, he should produce a number of works based on this theme.

(National Gallery of Ireland: Essential Guide, 2008)
ProvenancePresented, Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, 1953Exhibition HistoryDrawings from the National Gallery of Ireland, Wildenstein; London; New York, 1967

Master European Drawings, from the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland, Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Colorado Springs Fine Arts Centre, Colorado; Art Gallery, University of Maryland, College Park; Milwaukee Art Museum, Wisconsin; Pierpont Morgan Library, New York; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana; The Minneapolis Museum of Art, Minnesota; The Santa Barbara Museum of Art, California; National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 1983

Picasso Looking at Degas, Museu Picasso, Barcelona, 14 October 2010 - 16 January 2011