Bottle of Bass and Calling Card
Pablo Picasso Spanish
Not on view
Calling cards displaying the name of the artist or that of a notable peer are featured in many trompe l’oeil still lifes. Following suit, Picasso included the actual engraved cards of his patrons Gertrude Stein and André Level. A bent corner signified that the owner had delivered it personally; though here, the corners are simply not there: Picasso cut them off and drew in duplicitous doubles. The conjoined dice may allude to Stein’s intimate relationship with Alice B. Toklas, one stated openly on their shared card. As to Level, he headed the consortium of investors that sold Picasso’s painting Family of Saltimbanques (1905) at auction in 1914 for a staggering sum, creating a whole new market for Picasso and modern art.
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