£1,500 - £1,800
Rare Pablo Picasso Limited Edition "The Pipes of Pan"
5170 - Rare limited edition of the 1923 Pablo Picasso painting "The Pipes of Pan" was published as a numbered edition of only 60 worldwide plus 2 "Master Printers Proofs" of which this is one of them. Approved by "Succession Picasso" with certificate (signed by the Master Printer) Framed and mounted and supplied with a replacement valuation for £1800 (free of charge) along with biographical details on the subject and artist. Composed in 1923, whilst on holiday in Antibes, France, The Pipes of Pan is the crowning achievement of Picasso's neoclassical period of the 1920s. The Pipes of Pan is regarded as the most important painting of this period, not only because of its theme, but also because it draws upon classical interpretations of art in a new and modern style. This monumental painting depicts a mythological scene, set in the Mediterranean, in which two classical figures stare out towards a lost Arcadia, Pan's homeland. The figures are heavy, sculptural and contemplative. In the painting Picasso transforms Pan, the ancient Greek god of shepherds and flocks who has the hind legs and horns of a goat, into a young boy. Picasso's Pan reveals none of the laziness or lustiness of the original Greek god. The origins of Pan's pipes lie in the ancient Greek tale of Syrinx, who was pursued by the amorous Pan and chased into a river, whereby she turned into a hollow reed. Pan then cut the reeds and fashioned them into the first musical pipes. Throughout Picasso's many periods of transition, he would often refer to various mythological figures, one of the most famous being the Minotaur. Yet Picasso was not primarily concerned with the old myths but rather by their transformation into modern 20th century art. . H: 98cm W: 84cm D: 5cm
