Head of a Man

Pablo Picasso

Paris, late 1908 · Ink and charcoal on white laid paper · Modern and Contemporary Art

Picasso initially drew this bust-length figure with open, almond-shaped eyes. The long, diagonal strokes of black ink that cast shadows on the face were added later, possibly inspired by two defaced archaic, Iberian stone heads that Picasso acquired after they were stolen from the Musée du Louvre in 1907. The blackened gaze evokes both blindness and introspection. A close look at this drawing reveals traces of an earlier composition—in this case a standing female nude.

Artist

Pablo Picasso

Date

Paris, late 1908

Medium

Ink and charcoal on white laid paper

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection, Gift of Leonard A. Lauder, 2016