Pablo Picasso Ronde au Soleil (Sun Circle), 1959 comes alive as the figures frolic happily in a circle, reminiscent of the “Sardana,” a traditional Catalonian dance that appears in Picasso’s body of work. Some figures clutch flowers in their hands, other hold hands, signifying the strong bonds that can exist between people, and many also throw their hands over their heads with joy. Flowers fill the center of the circle as well, as if those dancing have been tossing them into the middle. None of the people are detailed with any facial features, but Picasso has done an inspiring job of bringing intense feeling through simple lines. The dancers abound with feeling, from their joyfully moving feet, to their hands opened wide towards the sky. Above the circle of youths is a glowing yellow sun, emblazoned with the outline of a white dove.

The dove as a symbol of peace was created as a political symbol by Picasso that has been “adopted by campaigners for peace, liberation, and equality around the globe” (Morris, Lynda & Christoph Grunenberg. Picasso: Peace and Freedom. London: Tate Publishing, 2010). Here, the dove encapsulates the feeling of the dancers – both the hope that bursts forth from them, and also the freedom that the hope implies.

Created in 1959 after an original Picasso drawing, this original color lithograph on Arches paper is hand-signed by Pablo Picasso (Malaga, 1881 - Mougins, 1973) in pencil in the lower right corner and numbered from the edition of 200 in pencil in the lower left corner in addition to the signature and date in the stone in the lower right: ‘Picasso | 2.7.59’; published by Imprimerie Arné, France.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

Pablo Picasso Sun Circle (Ronde au Soleil), 1959 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. Texas A&M University. The Online Picasso Project. www.picasso.tamu.edu. Another variant of this piece listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. OPP. 59:041.

2. Kay, Helen. Picasso’s World of Children. New York: Doubleday & Co. Inc, 1965. The work is discussed on page 11 and illustrated on pages 178-179.

3. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

About the Framing:

Pablo Picasso Sun Circle (Ronde au Soleil), 1959 is framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, presented in a complementary moulding and finished with linen-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.