In this voluptuous glass sculpture, Picasso experiments with the effects of light as it passes through a sheer medium and refracts, illuminating the piece from within. A feminine, mermaid-like bottom combines with the larger, masculine top to embody both the male and female Flamenco dancers. The sculpture playfully engages the viewer with the illusion of a face which appears from the profile then quickly disappears from a frontal view. By varying perspectives, the blocks of color can layer over one another, creating a myriad of colors and sensations reminiscent of a Flamenco dance.

Created in c. 1960 in the I.V.R. Mazzega in Venice, Italy this Murano colored glass sculpture was realized by master glass artist Ermanno Nason (Murano, 1928- ) in collaboration with Pablo Picasso (Malaga, 1881 – Mougins, 1973). Inscribed on the bottom, ‘Omaggio a Picasso E. Nason 1960’, in our opinion this work is from an unknown edition size of less than five examples.

Provenance:
Ermanno Nason, I.V.R. Mazzega, Venice, Italy
Private Collection, New York, NY, USA

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
Pablo Picasso Untitled, c. 1960 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the sale of the work).

1. Barovier, Marino. Venetian Art Glass 1840-1970: An American Collection. Stuttgart: Arnoldsche Art Publishers, 2004. A similar version is listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 240.
2. Egidio Costantini: Il Maestro dei Maestri. Brussels: Espace Kiron and Espace Medicis, 1990. Similar versions are listed and illustrated on pages 36 and 171.
3. La Fucina degli Angeli, Vetri di Artisti Contemporanei ‘Exhib. – cat. J.N. Weintraub Gallery,’ New York. A similar version is listed and illustrated.
4. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this artwork.