The Pipes (Les Pipeaux)
Also referred to as: Pastorale
Etching & drypoint, 1946
Edition: Unpublished
Printer: Louis Fort, Golfe-Juan, France
Printed on wove paper without watermark
Annotated in pencil “Etat” lower left recto
Edition in all six states: Baer/Geiser lists 24 impression, this being an unrecorded variant of State V, making a total of 25 known impression, mostly held in public collections
Reference: Geiser 731 v/VI, variant
Bloch 1348
Annotated lower right recto "Etat"
Very rare.
Plate size: 10 11/16 x 13 15/16 inches
Condition: recto has no condition issues, verso has remaining surface soiling consistent with a working proof impression from the artist's studio
Note: The image is autobiographical, depicting Picasso with flutes on the left, Francois Gilot who is expecting their first child in the center, and their future child depicted upside down on the right.
Another impression exhibited: MOMA, Picasso: His Graphic Art, 1952
Checklist No. 87, Pastorale, etching, 1946, impression printed in green
Exhibited again at MOMA, 2010
“Mythical characters first appeared in Picasso's work in his Neoclassical period, of the late 1910s and 1920s, and also in the 1930s, under the influence of Surrealism. They could symbolize harmony and serenity or irrational thought. After World War II, when in the South of France, Picasso often depicted fauns and satyrs, as if that locale, steeped in ancient history, prompted them. He once remarked, "It is strange, in Paris I never draw fauns, centaurs, or mythical heroes . . . they always seem to live in these parts."
Gallery label from Picasso: Variations and Themes, March 28–September 30, 2010.
This composition relates to the painting “Le joie de vivre (Pastorale)”, 1946. This etching/drypoint repeats the central composition of the painting.
Provenance: Perls Gallery, New York, 1947, (label), No. 4730
