Bottle of Anis del Mono

Synthetic cubism is portrayed through the carefully placed objects on a tilted pedestal table, painted freely through dots and dashes, yet delicately with the tip of the brush. It is possible that the painting is a self-portrait in disguise. The elongated bottle resembles a harlequin, Picasso’s favorite motif, and the trompe l’oeil nameplate reading “Picasso” only furthers this possibility. Additionally, the silhouette of a blue bird is thought to represent the expiring soul of Eva Gouel, the artist’s companion who was at the time dying in a Paris hospital.
SKU: 61657
Creator: Pablo Picasso
Date: 1915
Original Medium: Oil on canvas
Original Size: 18 1/8 x 21 1/2 in.
Location: Detroit Institute of Arts
© Succession Picasso 2015