Pablo Picasso

Spanish, 1881-1973

Cortège (Procession)

© Succession Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

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© Succession Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

Cortège (Procession), 1933

Artwork Details

Materials

watercolor and ink wash on paper

Measurements

sheet: 15 13/16 x 19 15/16 inches (40.16 x 50.64 cm); framed: 23 x 27 x 1 inches (58.42 x 68.58 x 2.54 cm)

Collection Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Credit

Gift of ACG Trust, 1970

Accession ID

1970:2.14

During July of 1933, while vacationing in Cannes, France, Pablo Picasso produced two drawings on a bacchanalian theme. One of these, Cortège, depicts four figures on a beach before a wide expanse of sea. Picasso was inspired to create the work after seeing three intoxicated people—two sailors and a woman—reeling down a street in Marseilles led by a small child. Here, he transforms the characters from this actual event into nude revelers from antiquity with figures that appear in previous compositions by the artist. For example, the child’s face and woman’s voluptuous body are that of Marie-Thérèse Walter (French, 1909–1977), Picasso's young mistress from 1927 to about 1935 and the inspiration for much of his work during this period.

Label from Picasso: The Artist and His Models, November 5, 2016–February 19, 2017

Other Works by This Artist