Minotauromachy

Currently not on view

Minotauromachy

1935

Pablo Ruiz y Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973)

Picasso created this magisterial etching during a dramatic moment in his career when he had abandoned painting. He uses the Minotaur, his alter ego, to portray the turmoil in his personal life. The intensity of his affair with his mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter had provided a stimulating alternative to the stifling existence he shared with his wife, Olga Khokhlova. However, the unplanned pregnancy of Marie-Thérèse threatened to put an end to their passionate romance, and he was fearful of Olga’s anger, here represented by the snarling horse. All four women in this print possess the facial features of the youthful Marie-Thérèse: the female bullfighter, the girl with the candle, and the two spectators in the window.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Minotauromachy
Battle of the Minotaurs (Minotauromachia)

Date:

1935

Artist:

Pablo Ruiz y Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973)

Medium:

Etching and engraving (seventh state of seven)

Dimensions:

Plate: 19 9/16 x 27 3/8 inches (49.7 x 69.5 cm) Sheet: 22 5/16 x 30 3/8 inches (56.7 x 77.2 cm)

Classification:

Prints

Credit Line:

Gift of Henry P. McIlhenny, 1953

Accession Number:

1953-24-1

Geography:

Made in Paris, France, Europe

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Currently not on view