Pablo Picasso
, Spanish, 1881-1973
Title
Still Life with a MandolinDate1924
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
101 x 158 cm
Signedlower right: Picasso 24
Credit LineBequeathed, Máire MacNeill Sweeney, 1987
Object numberNGI.4522
DescriptionA prolific painter, sculptor, illustrator, printmaker and ceramicist, Pablo Picasso was one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. Born in Spain, he moved to Paris in 1904 and worked in France for most of his life. Along with Georges Braque, Picasso originated and developed Cubism, which challenged how three-dimensional forms were presented and perceived in art. Picasso spent the summer of 1924 in Juan-les-Pins on the Côte d’Azur. He rented a villa (La Vigie) and began working on a series of large still-life paintings; Still Life with a Mandolin is the second of these works. The scene is set at night. In the foreground, objects such as a fruit dish, wine bottle and mandolin rest on a table. They are colourful and strongly lit, as if by an artificial source. By contrast, in the background, foliage is silhouetted against broad patches of black and dark blue. The wave-like scrolls on the striped tablecloth may be a playful allusion to the seaside location. Picasso’s subject matter, setting and use of vivid colours combine to construct a decorative, lyrical composition on a grand scale.
March 2016
ProvenanceIn the collection of Miss Mary Hoyt Wiborg in 1928; Mrs Thomas N. Metcalf, Boston, 1939; M. Knoedler & Co., New York; John L. Sweeney, 1947; Mr and Mrs John Sweeney, Corofin, County Clare, 1967-1986; Máire Macneill Sweeney; bequeathed, Máire Macneill Sweeney, 1987. Exhibition HistoryLoan Exhibitions of Paintings from Memling, Holbein and Titian to Renoir and Picasso, Reinhardt Galleries, New York, 1928
Painting in Paris from American Collections, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 19 January - 2 March 1930
Picasso Exhibition, Arts Club, Chicago, 26 March - 9 April 1930
Pablo Picasso: An Exhibition of Paintings, Demotte Galleries, New York, 1931
Exposition Picasso, Galeries Georges Petit, Paris, 1932
21 Paintings: 1908-1934, Valentine Gallery, New York, 1938
The Sources of Modern Painting, Institute of Modern Art, Boston, 1939
Acquisitions 1986-1988, National Gallery of Ireland, 1988
Picasso and Things, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, 26 February - 26 April 1992; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, 7 June - 9 August 1992; Musée National Picasso, Paris, 22 September - 28 December 1992
French 19th and 20th Century Paintings from the National Gallery of Ireland: Corot to Picasso, Daimaru Museum, Tokyo, 5 September - 17 September 1996; Daimaru Museum, Kyoto, 10 October - 22 October 1996; Kawaguchiko Museum of Art, Yamanashi, 26 October - 2 December 1996; Daimaru Museum, Umeda,Osaka, 22 January - 9 February 1997; Aomori Municpal Gallery of Art, Aomori, 2 April - 20 April 1997
Picasso. Indoor, Outdoor Landscapes, Meseu Picasso, Barcelona, 26 October 1999 - 30 January 2000
The Dead and the Living in Picasso, Museu Picasso, Barcelona, 20 November 2008 - 1 March 2009
The Object Observed, Four Centuries of European Painting, Meseu Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, 11 February 2010 - 2 May 2010
Label TextPicasso spent the summer of 1924 in the village of Juan-les-Pins on the Côte d'Azur. This picture is the second in a series of large Cubist still-lifes that he painted during his stay. It is a night scene - in the foreground, a fruit dish, wine bottle, and mandolin rest on a table. These items are lit strongly, as if by an artificial source. In the background, foliage is silhouetted against broad patches of black and blue. The decorative wave-like scrolls on the table’s edge may be a playful allusion to the coastal setting of the scene.
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