The Jester

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© Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
My gallery Comment Tag Order Photography*
© Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
My gallery Comment Tag Order Photography*
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The Jester

France, 1905
Sculpture
Bronze
16 × 5 × 10 in. (40.64 × 12.7 × 25.4 cm)
Partial, fractional and promised gift of Janice and Henri Lazarof (M.2005.70.97)
Modern Art
Currently on public view:
Broad Contemporary Art Museum, floor 3

Since gallery displays may change often, please contact us before you visit to make certain this item is on view.

Provenance

The artist (1881-1973). Collection Max Pellequer, Paris; Private Collection, Paris; [Galerie Beyeler, Basel]; sold in 1997 to Janice and Henri Lazarof, Los Angeles; given in 2005 to LACMA.

Label

In 1905 Picasso became fascinated with the Parisian circus milieu. The Jester began as a portrait of his friend, poet and critic Max Jacob, after a visit to the Cirque Médrano....
In 1905 Picasso became fascinated with the Parisian circus milieu. The Jester began as a portrait of his friend, poet and critic Max Jacob, after a visit to the Cirque Médrano. Jacob often played the role of court jester in Picasso’s circle, reciting poetry and singing operettas wearing a woman’s hat. However, the finished work no longer resembles Jacob, but instead appears more like a harlequin, whose deep eye sockets suggest his inward thoughts. The rough surface of the bronze catches the light, giving the sculpture additional personality.

Wall label, 2021.
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Bibliography

  • Zervos, Christian.  Pablo Picasso.  Paris: Cahiers d'art.
  • Spies, Werner. Picasso: the Sculptures. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2000.
  • Barron, Stephanie. Envisioning Modernism: The Janice and Henri Lazarof Collection. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich; New York: DelMonico Books-Prestel, 2012.
  • Zervos, Christian.  Pablo Picasso.  Paris: Cahiers d'art.
  • Spies, Werner. Picasso: the Sculptures. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2000.
  • Barron, Stephanie. Envisioning Modernism: The Janice and Henri Lazarof Collection. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich; New York: DelMonico Books-Prestel, 2012.

  • "2005-2006 Selected Acquisitions." LACMA Insider 4, no.1 (2006): 4-7.

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