Pablo Picasso, Untitled, 1958

Artist: Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973)
Title:Untitled, 1958
Medium:Murano colored glass sculpture
Image Size:Dimensions: 11 5/8 in x 9 1/2 in x 6 1/4 in (29.5 cm x 24.1 cm x 15.9 cm)
Edition:An artist proof aside from the known edition 3.
Signature:This work is inscribed on the side: ‘E. Nason 58’.
Condition:This work is in excellent condition.
ID #W-6030
Price on Request

Questions?

Inquire to Sell

Historical Description

Picasso Murano colored glass sculpture Untitled, 1958 features one of the artists favorite subjects, the ever-iconic bull. A symbol of masculinity, strength, and Picasso’s Spanish heritage, imagery of the bulls and bullfighting are some of the artist’s most celebrated, spanning his extensive oeuvre. In this stunning blown glass sculpture, Picasso translates this animal character in a three dimensional format. Composed of a hollow form of grey transparent glass, the details of the bull are drawn in black opaque applied in low relief on the outer surface. The animal’s head is tilted at an angle, as if to express curiosity. The special touches that  make this work even more mesmerizing is the introduction of color in transparent application of green, and yellow, as well as the crowning signifier of the sculpture, the protruding pointed horns, executed in opaque black glass.

Created in 1958 in the Fucina degli Angeli in Italy, this Murano glass sculpture was realized by master glass artist Ermanno Nason (Murano, 1928- ) in collaboration with Pablo Picasso (Malaga, 1881 – Mougins, 1973). An artist proof aside from the edition of three known examples, this work is inscribed on the bottom, 'E. Nason 58’.

Picasso's Glass Art:
Picasso's relationship with Egidio Costantini echoes his partnership with the Madoura Pottery in Vallauris, France. The two men initially met in Vallauris in 1954, though their working relationship would begin a few years later, due in part to Peggy Guggenheim's invitation for Picasso to come to Venice. While Suzanne and Georges Ramié created large editions based on original prototypes created by Picasso, Costantini translated the artist's drawings into glass sculptures produced in very limited editions. This master of La Fucina degli Angeli (the Forge of the Angels), Murano, transformed the centuries-old tradition of Italian glass blowing into a modern art. A 1965 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, recognized the importance of these rare sculptures, which are housed in the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, amongst other notable collections.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
Pablo Picasso Untitled, 1958 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. Egidio Costantini: Il Maestro dei Maestri. Brussels: Espace Kiron and Espace Medicis, 1990. A similar version is listed on page 170 and illustrated on page 171.
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this artwork.