Lobster and Cat (Le homard et le chat)

This seemingly humorous work was painted at the end of Picasso’s life. The subject matter of the work comes from Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin’s painting The Ray (1728, Musée du Louvre, Paris), which is an important French work. In both The Ray and Lobster and Cat, a cat sees a terrifyingly depicted lobster and prepares to attempt to eat it. Picasso maintains the humorous effect of the encounter while simultaneously using it as a metaphor of “aggression aroused by fear” (Guggenheim). This is a theme that was repeatedly revisited by Picasso that is also prevalent in his masterpiece, Guernica (1937, Reina Sofia, Madrid).
SKU: 6116
Creator: Pablo Picasso
Date: Jan. 11, 1965
Original Medium: oil on canvas
Original Size: 28 3/4 x 36 1/4 in.
Location: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
© Succession Picasso 2011