Pablo Picasso
The Jester1905

On view:

Broad Contemporary Art Museum, floor 3

Artist or Maker: Pablo Picasso
Spain, 1881-1973, active France
Title: The Jester
Place Made: France
Date Made: 1905
Medium: Bronze
Dimensions: 16 × 5 × 10 in. (40.64 × 12.7 × 25.4 cm)
Credit Line: Partial, fractional and promised gift of Janice and Henri Lazarof
Accession Number: M.2005.70.97
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: Modern Art
Curatorial Notes: 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.
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.
Selected Bibliography: "2005-2006 Selected Acquisitions." LACMA Insider 4, no.1 (2006): 4-7.