Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Self-Portrait with Wig
Pablo Picasso Spanish
Not on view
Picasso’s familiarity with the conventions of the old masters is evident in this work, which he likely made as a teenager while living in Madrid and Barcelona. He began with a traditional self-portrait—the outline of his hair is still visible—but then decided to present himself in costume and an anachronistic powdered wig, possibly a harbinger of the masquerade scenes and harlequins that would surface in his work in years to come. Here, the extensive use of black was due in part to Picasso’s deliberate attempt to cover an even earlier composition, a common practice for artists with limited financial resources. The canvas stayed in the artist’s possession until 1970, when he donated it to the Museu Picasso in Barcelona.
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