Although the eyes, nose, chin, and even the hairline of the subject are discernible, at this moment, Picasso was deconstructing the human head and figure in an attempt to see how far he could go before the subject became unrecognizable. Concurrently, he created a geometric armature that many other artists, architects, and designers would soon imitate in their efforts to create a new stylistic alternative to Art Nouveau, the curvilinear style pervasive in Europe at the time.
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Inscription: Signed (verso, upper right, in graphite): Picasso
[probably with Moderne Galerie (Heinrich Thannhauser), Munich, by 1913–14; sold on March 31, 1914 to Basler]; [Adolphe Basler, Paris, 1914–15; left with Stieglitz in December 1914 as collateral for a loan; upon default of loan on August 15, 1915, acquired by Stieglitz]; Alfred Stieglitz, New York (1915–d. 1946; his estate, 1946–49; gift to MMA)
Munich. Moderne Galerie Heinrich Thannhauser. "Ausstellung Pablo Picasso," February 1913, no. 113 [possibly this picture].
New York. 291. "Untitled exhibition of nine works by Pablo Picasso from the collection of Adolphe Basler," January 12–26, 1915, no catalogue.
Philadelphia Museum of Art. "History of an American, Alfred Stieglitz: '291' and After, Selections from the Stieglitz Collection," July 1–November 1, 1944, no. 99.
Museum of Modern Art, New York. "Alfred Stieglitz Exhibition: His Collection," June 10–August 31, 1947, no catalogue (checklist no. 93).
Art Institute of Chicago. "Alfred Stieglitz: His Photographs and His Collection," February 2–29, 1948, no catalogue (checklist no. 23).
Museum of Modern Art, New York. "From the Alfred Stieglitz Collection: An Extended Loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," May 22–August 12, 1951, no catalogue (checklist no. E.L.51.698; loan extended to May 15, 1961).
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Drawings from the Alfred Stieglitz Collection," September 9–November 12, 1967, no catalogue (unnumbered checklist).
Los Angeles County Museum of Art. "The Cubist Epoch," December 15, 1970–February 21, 1971, no. 269.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Cubist Epoch," April 9–June 7, 1971, no. 269.
London. Tate Gallery. "Abstraction: Towards a New Art, Painting 1910–1920," February 6–April 13, 1980, no. 3 (as "Man's Head").
New York. Museum of Modern Art. "Picasso and Braque: Pioneering Cubism," September 24, 1989–January 16, 1990, unnumbered cat. (p. 246; as "Head").
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. "Modern Art and America: Alfred Stieglitz and His New York Galleries," January 28–April 22, 2001, unnumbered cat. (pl. 54).
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Picasso in The Metropolitan Museum of Art," April 27–August 1, 2010, no. 57.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Stieglitz and His Artists: Matisse to O'Keeffe," October 13, 2011–January 2, 2012, no. 30.
Ulrich Weisner et al. Zeichnungen und Collagen des Kubismus: Picasso, Braque, Gris. Exh. cat., Kunsthalle Bielefeld. Bielefeld, 1979, p. 268, pl. 73.
Jean-François Rodriguez. "Le Cafard après la fête...": Naturisme e rappel à l'ordre tra Francia e Italia nelle lettere di Louis Rouart, Eugène Montford e Adolphe Basler ad Ardengo Soffici, 1910–1932. Padua, 2001, p. 108.
Sarah Greenough. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set. The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Vol. 1, 1886–1922. New York, 2002, pp. xxviii–xxix, figs. 25, 26.
Danielle Tilkin et al. New York et l'art moderne: Alfred Stieglitz et son cercle (1905–1930). Exh. cat., Musée d'Orsay. Paris, 2004, p. 77, no. 29, ill. (Spanish ed., 2004).
Julia May Boddewyn in Michael FitzGerald. Picasso and American Art. Exh. cat., Whitney Museum of American Art. New York, 2006, pp. 329, 359, 362.
Gary Tinterow inPicasso in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ed. Gary Tinterow and Susan Alyson Stein. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2010, p. 5.
Lisa M. Messinger inPicasso in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ed. Gary Tinterow and Susan Alyson Stein. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2010, pp. 161–63, no. 57, ill. (color).
Rachel Mustalish inPicasso in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ed. Gary Tinterow and Susan Alyson Stein. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2010, p. 162.
Lisa Mintz Messinger inStieglitz and His Artists: Matisse to O'Keeffe. The Alfred Stieglitz Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ed. Lisa Mintz Messinger. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2011, pp. 58, 88, 235, 250, no. 30, ill. (color).
Pablo Picasso (Spanish, Malaga 1881–1973 Mougins, France)
1929
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