8 - After Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)

After Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) Side table with guitar and sheet music, circa 1920. Stencil print on paper, signed and numbered 20/100 in the lower left corner Publisher: Galerie Rosenberg, Paris. 30.6 x 22.7 cm. Bibliography: (Lugt 3698) Condition report: Framed; extensive water stains in the lower portion; two indentations in the composition This stencil belongs to the famous series of “Ten Stencils” published in Paris by Galerie Rosenberg in the early 1920s. The work perfectly illustrates the Catalan master’s Synthetic Cubism period, in which the still life is deconstructed and then reorganized into pure geometric planes interlocked with one another. Using a harmonious palette combining shades of brown, white, black, and beige, enhanced by a golden sandblasted texture on the left, Picasso orchestrates the layering of the forms of the pedestal table, the musical instrument, and the schematic lines of the sheet music. This rare work, characterized by great formal rigor, captures a pivotal moment in the artist’s career, when he was at the height of his postwar geometric experiments.