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© Museum Associates 2025
Collections

Cecil de Blaquière Howard
Guitarist1915–1917

On view:
Broad Contemporary Art Museum, floor 3
Painted wood sculpture, abstract Cubist form with bold flat areas of red, blue, green, black, and natural wood grain on a faceted geometric block
Painted wood sculpture with abstract geometric and curvilinear forms, covered in faceted planes of red, blue, green, black, and brown.
Artist or Maker
Cecil de Blaquière Howard
American, 1888–1956, active France
Title
Guitarist
Date Made
1915–1917
Medium
Polychromed wood
Dimensions
10 × 9 5/8 × 5 3/4 in. (25.4 × 24.45 × 14.61 cm)
Credit Line
Purchased with funds provided by the American Art Acquisition Fund and the Modern Art Acquisition Fund.
Accession Number
M.2019.25
Classification
Sculpture
Collecting Area
American Art
Curatorial Notes

Best known for his classical nudes, from 1915 to 1917 sculptor Cecil de Blanquière Howard created six small, Cubist-inspired polychrome works that reflect his interest in music. With its bright colors and faceted form, Guitarist suggests the lively atmosphere of the Parisian dance halls that Howard frequented. Howard was a skilled dancer himself (specializing in the tango), and in 1917 he performed in Les Mamelles de Tirésias (The Breasts of Tiresias), written by art critic, poet, and playwright Guillaume Apollinaire.


Wall label, 2021.

Provenance
The artist (1888-1956). Private collection. [Possibly sold in 2017 to Conner-Rosenkranz, New York City]; sold in 2019 to LACMA.