Garçon à la pipe
Encyclopedia
Garçon à la Pipe is a painting by Pablo Picasso
. It was painted in 1905 when Picasso was 24 years old, during his Rose Period
, soon after he settled in the Montmartre
section of Paris
, France
. The oil on canvas painting depicts a Parisian
boy holding a pipe in his left hand and wearing a garland or wreath of flowers.
Although Picasso started to paint this picture, he gave it a rest period for about a month. During this time, Picasso decided to finish it off by placing a garland of flowers on the boy's head. It is not known why Picasso decided to do this, but there is a contrast between femininity and masculinity in the picture.
in Montmartre is where Picasso was living when he painted the picture. Some of the local people made a living in the entertainment industry, such as being clowns or acrobats. Picasso used many local people in his pictures, but little is known about the boy in the picture.
What appears to be fact from comments made from a variety of sources is that the boy was a model in his teen years who hung around Picasso's studio and volunteered to pose for the oil work. Picasso's own comments about the boy were that he was one of the:
From this comment, suppositions can be made. The first is that Picasso did not want people to know who the boy is, and the second is Picasso did not really know the boy. However, many reports have been made that say the boy is “p’tit Louis”, or "Little Louis".
in 1950 for US$
30,000.
On May 5, 2004 the painting was sold for US$
104,168,000 at Sotheby's
auction
in New York City
. Sotheby’s did not say who bought the painting. However, sources say that it was Guido Barilla, owner of the Barilla Group who bought the painting. At the time, it broke the record for the amount paid for an auctioned painting (when inflation is ignored). The amount, US$
104 million, includes the auction price of US$
93 million plus the auction house’s commission of about US$
11 million. The painting was given a pre-sale estimate of US$
70 million by the auction house.
Many art critics have stated that the painting's high sale price has much more to do with the artist's name than with the merit or historical importance of the painting. The Washington Post
's article on the sale contained the following characterisation of the reaction:
Category:1905 paintings
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
. It was painted in 1905 when Picasso was 24 years old, during his Rose Period
Rose Period
The Rose Period signifies the time when the style of Pablo Picasso's painting used cheerful orange and pink colours in contrast to the cool, somber tones of the previous Blue Period. It lasted from 1904 to 1906. Picasso was happy in his relationship with Fernande Olivier whom he had met in 1904 and...
, soon after he settled in the Montmartre
Montmartre
Montmartre is a hill which is 130 metres high, giving its name to the surrounding district, in the north of Paris in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit and as a nightclub district...
section of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The oil on canvas painting depicts a Parisian
Parisian (disambiguation)
Parisian may refer to:* a person born and raised in Paris* Standard French, based on the dialect of Paris* Parisian , a department store chain bought by Belk, based in Birmingham, Alabama...
boy holding a pipe in his left hand and wearing a garland or wreath of flowers.
Preparation
Early preparations of this work involved positioning the boy in all types of poses that involved standing, sitting or leaning against the wall. After much repositioning of the model, Picasso decided to go with the boy sitting down. Next was how to position the arm, where much time was also spent on the height and angle. Early works do not show any objects other than a pipe being used.Although Picasso started to paint this picture, he gave it a rest period for about a month. During this time, Picasso decided to finish it off by placing a garland of flowers on the boy's head. It is not known why Picasso decided to do this, but there is a contrast between femininity and masculinity in the picture.
The boy
Le Bateau-LavoirLe Bateau-Lavoir
Le Bateau-Lavoir is a name which French painter Max Jacob coined for an area at the top of the steps leading to No. 13 Rue Ravigan, in Montmartre, Paris . The area is famous in art history because around the start of the 20th century a group of outstanding artists lived and rented artistic studios...
in Montmartre is where Picasso was living when he painted the picture. Some of the local people made a living in the entertainment industry, such as being clowns or acrobats. Picasso used many local people in his pictures, but little is known about the boy in the picture.
What appears to be fact from comments made from a variety of sources is that the boy was a model in his teen years who hung around Picasso's studio and volunteered to pose for the oil work. Picasso's own comments about the boy were that he was one of the:
From this comment, suppositions can be made. The first is that Picasso did not want people to know who the boy is, and the second is Picasso did not really know the boy. However, many reports have been made that say the boy is “p’tit Louis”, or "Little Louis".
Provenance
The painting was first bought by John Hay WhitneyJohn Hay Whitney
John Hay Whitney , colloquially known as "Jock" Whitney, was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the New York Herald Tribune, and a member of the Whitney family.-Family:...
in 1950 for US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
30,000.
On May 5, 2004 the painting was sold for US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
104,168,000 at Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Sotheby’s did not say who bought the painting. However, sources say that it was Guido Barilla, owner of the Barilla Group who bought the painting. At the time, it broke the record for the amount paid for an auctioned painting (when inflation is ignored). The amount, US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
104 million, includes the auction price of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
93 million plus the auction house’s commission of about US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
11 million. The painting was given a pre-sale estimate of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
70 million by the auction house.
Many art critics have stated that the painting's high sale price has much more to do with the artist's name than with the merit or historical importance of the painting. The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
's article on the sale contained the following characterisation of the reaction:
External links
Category:1905 paintings