555 - Pablo Picasso (1881 Málaga – Mougins near Cannes 1973)

Pablo Picasso (1881 Málaga – Mougins near Cannes 1973) Pierrot and Arlequin Color stencil on cream-colored vellum. (Circa 1920). Approx. 27.5 x 21.5 cm (sheet size approx. 30.5 x 23 cm). One of 100 numbered copies. Signed at the bottom center. From the series “Dix Pochoirs.” Published by Paul Rosenberg, Paris, ca. 1920. Inscribed “Earl Horter collection” on the reverse by another hand. • From the series “Dix Pochoirs,” published by Paul Rosenberg in Paris in 1921 • Cubist composition in geometrically structured areas of color • Harlequin and Pierrot as key figures in Picasso’s visual universe The figure of the Harlequin is one of the recurring motifs in Picasso’s work. In this composition, he combines two figures standing close together into a structure of clearly defined areas of color and geometric forms. The bold contrasts and flat design are reminiscent of his Cubist works and lend the depiction an effect that is both playful and rigorously composed. Provenance: Probably the Earl Horter Collection; Skinner, Boston, May 21, 2010, Lot 132; Private collection, USA. Taxation: subject to regular taxation (VAT: Regular Taxation).