Decoration for a Mardi-Gras Bal
Artist
Pablo Picasso
(Spanish, 1881-1973)
CultureSpanish
Date1923
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions114 × 84 in. (289.6 × 213.4 cm)
Overall, Frame: 116 1/4 × 84 5/8 × 2 in. (295.3 × 214.9 × 5.1 cm)
Overall, Frame: 116 1/4 × 84 5/8 × 2 in. (295.3 × 214.9 × 5.1 cm)
InscribedSigned.
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.689
Collections
Not on view
DescriptionTwo linear figures stand side-by-side on a color-blocked diamond shape with white, blue, and brown sections. The figure on the left is rendered in vertical and horizontal lines; it holds a fish in its right hand, and its feet have prongs like tridents. The figure on the right has triangles radiating from its body, and a large diamond-shaped belly. In its right hand, it holds a sign reading "BAL" in capital letters. The background is tan with black horizontal lines. Following traditional imagery, the figure on the left represents Lent, seemingly emaciated and holding the typical Lenten food of fish. In contrast, the glowing, rotund figure on the right represents Carnival and the excesses of Mardi Gras.Label TextPablo Picasso Spanish, 1881–1973 Decoration for a Mardi-Gras Bal, 1923 Oil on canvas After his radical experiments in developing Cubist style, Picasso proceeded to expand his art into the fields of design for theatre, ballet, and also parties and grand masked balls. The Count and Countess de Beaumont commissioned a number of design projects and works from Picasso, including this decoration for a ball at their house, the Hôtel de Masseran in Paris. Following traditional imagery, the excesses of Mardi Gras--here embodied by a glowing, rotund figure of Carnival holding up the celebratory sign "BAL"-- are contrasted to his emaciated successor Lent, holding the typical Lenten food of fish. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.689 ProvenanceCount Etienne de Beaumont; M. Stiebel, 1955; Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., 1956; Chrysler Museum of Art, 1971.Exhibition History"Picasso - Peintures 1900-1955," Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, June-October, 1955. "Picasso," The Arts Council of Great Britain, London, 1960. "Collection Conversations: Fractured Lens: Picasso, Braque, and Cubism’s Influence," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, October 14, 2014 - February 22, 2015. “A Foreigner Called Picasso,” Gagosian Gallery, New York, NY, November 10, 2023 – February 10, 2024.Published References"Picasso - Peintures 1900-1955," Musee des Arts Decoratifs Catalogue, 1955. "Picasso," The Arts Council of Great Britain Catalogue, 1960, plate no. 59e. The Chrysler Museum, "Selections from the Permanent Collection," 1982, p. 70. M. Therese Southgate, MD, THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION: VOL. 255. NO. 5 (February 7, 1986), p. 606, cover illustration. Linda McGreevy, "Art: Pablo Dearest," PORT FOLIO MAGAZINE, Vol. 6, No. 29, July 19-26, 1988, ill. p. 25. M. Therese Southgate, MD, THE ART OF JAMA: ONE HUNDRED COVERS AND ESSAYS FROM THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (St. Louis, MO: Mosby-Year Book, Inc., 1997), pp. 176-177, 214, color ill. p. 177. "Current and Coming: Chrysler Museum Reopens." _The Magazine Antiques._ May-June 2014, 26.
