In a letter to his dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, Picasso described this scene as “a still life from the innkeeper Druetrx’s place with the letters Mazagran armagnac café on a round table[,] a fruit dish with some pears, a knife, a glass.” A mazagran (some of the letters of this word appear at upper left) is a type of short-footed cup used specifically for coffee laced with alcohol.
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Inscription: Signed [at a later date] (upper left, in black paint): Picasso [underlined]
[Galerie Kahnweiler, Paris, summer 1912; inv. no. 998, photo no. 189]; [Galerie Alfred Flechtheim, Berlin, by February 1913]; Alphonse Kann, Saint Germain en Laye (until d. 1948; confiscated in June 1940, by the ERR (Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg), Paris, ERR inv. no. KA 1087, as "Komposition (Hotel)"; restituted on July 11, 1947 by the Commission de Récupération Artistique, Paris, to Kann, London); his heirs, Paris (from 1948); [possibly Galerie Pierre (Pierre Loeb), Paris]; Daniel and Eleanore B. Saidenberg, New York (early 1950s–59; gift in 1959 to Robert Saidenberg); their son, Robert Saidenberg, New York (1959–97; sold in 1997 to Reid & Lefevre); [Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd., London, 1997; sold in June 1997 to Lauder]; Leonard A. Lauder, New York (from 1997)
Munich. Galerie Neue Kunst Hans Goltz. "Erste Gesamt-Ausstellung," October 1912, no. 108.
Munich. Moderne Galerie Heinrich Thannhauser. "Ausstellung Pablo Picasso," February 1913, no. 75.
New York. Whitney Studio Galleries. "Twenty Recent Paintings by Pablo Picasso," May 3, 1923, until no later than May 20, 1923 (as "Still Life").
New York. American Art Galleries. "The Spring Salon," May 21–June 9, 1923.
New York. Saidenberg Gallery. "A Selection of Works by Picasso in Ten Media: Oil, Collage, Gouache, Watercolor, Pastel, Drawing, Sculpture, Ceramic, Mosaic, Graphic Art," November 18–December 27, 1958, no. 1 (as "Compotier et fruits").
New York. Saidenberg Gallery. "Picasso: An American Tribute. Cubism," April 25–May 12, 1962, no. 19.
New York. M. Knoedler & Company. "Seven Decades, 1895–1965: Crosscurrents in Modern Art. 1905–1914," April 26–May 21, 1966, no. 96.
New York. Saidenberg Gallery. "Homage to Picasso for His 90th Birthday: Joint Exhibition of Paintings and Works on Paper. Years: 1901–1924," October 6–30, 1971, no. 16.
New York. Whitney Museum of American Art. "Picasso and American Art," September 28, 2006–February 4, 2007, unnumbered cat. (pl. 40).
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. "Picasso and American Art," February 25–May 28, 2007, unnumbered cat.
Minneapolis. Walker Art Center. "Picasso and American Art," June 17–September 7, 2007, unnumbered cat.
Munich. Jewish Museum. "Die ‘Moderne Galerie’ von Heinrich Thannhauser," January 30–May 25, 2008, no. 15 (as "The Bowl of Fruit/Compotier et fruits").
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Cubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection," October 20, 2014–February 16, 2015, no. 67.
St. Petersburg, Fla. Dalí Museum. "Picasso and the Allure of the South," January 29–May 22, 2022, no. 124 (as "Le Compotier").
Galerie Neue Kunst Hans Goltz. Erste Gesamt-Ausstellung. Munich, 1912, p. 13, no. 108, ill.
Ausstellung Pablo Picasso. Exh. cat., Moderne Galerie Heinrich Thannhauser. Munich, 1913, unpaginated, no. 75.
Pablo Picasso. "Picasso Speaks: A Statement by the Artist." Arts 3, no. 5 (May 1923), ill., as "Still Life".
Carl Einstein. Die Kunst des 20.Jahrhunderts. Berlin, 1926, pp. 72, 561, ill. p. 272, as "Der blaue Laden".
Carl Einstein. Die Kunst des 20. Jahrhunderts. 2nd ed. (1st ed., 1926). Berlin, 1928, pp. 83–84, 559, ill. p. 270, as "Der blaue Laden".
Carl Einstein. "Notes sur le Cubisme." Documents: Doctrines, Archéologie, Beaux-Arts, Ethnographie 1, no. 3 (June 1929), ill. p. 150, as "Nature morte," erroneously as in the collection of the Museum of Modern Western Art, Moscow.
Maud Dale. Picasso. New York, 1930, unpaginated, pl. 14, as "Cubism Analytique" [sic].
Christian Zervos. "De l’importance de l’objet dans la peinture d’aujourd’hui (III)." Cahiers d’Art 5 (1930), ill. p. 233, as 1913.
Carl Einstein. Die Kunst des 20. Jahrhunderts. 3rd ed. (1st ed, 1926). Berlin, 1931, pp. 92, 637, ill. p. 309, as "Der blaue Laden," in the collection of Galerie Flechtheim, Berlin.
Pierre Guéguen. "Picasso: Primitif cérébral." Cahiers d'art 7 (1932), p. 112, ill., as "Composition avec lettres," 1913.
Will Grohmann. "Picasso." Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart: Unter Mitwirkung von etwas 400 Fachgelehrten. Ed. Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker. Vol. 26, Leipzig, 1932, p. 577, as "Der blaue Laden".
Usaburō Ihara. L’Idée et l’espirit de l’art moderne. Vol. 3, Cubisme. Tokyo, 1937, ill. p. 121, dated as 1913.
Christian Zervos. Histoire de l'art contemporain. Paris, 1938, ill. p. 216, as "Composition avec lettres".
Christian Zervos. Pablo Picasso. Vol. 2b, Works from 1912 to 1917. Paris, 1942, unpaginated (list of plates), no. 302, pl. 148, as "Compotier et fruits".
Juan Merli. Picasso: El artista y la obra de nuestro tiempo. Buenos Aires, 1942, p. 298, ill. p. 173, as "Composición con letras," 1913.
A Selection of Works by Picasso in Ten Media: Oil, Collage, Gouache, Watercolor, Pastel, Drawing, Sculpture, Ceramic, Mosaic, Graphic Art. Exh. cat., Saidenberg Gallery. New York, 1958, unpaginated, no. 1, ill.
Edith Hoffmann. "Current and Forthcoming Exhibitions: New York." Burlington Magazine vol. 100 (December 1958), p. 454, as "Compotier et fruits".
John Richardson, ed. Picasso: An American Tribute. Exh. cat., Saidenberg Gallery. New York, 1962, unpaginated, no. 19, ill.
John Berger. The Success and Failure of Picasso. Harmondsworth and Baltimore, 1965, p. 51, unpaginated (list of illustrations), ill. no. 25.
Peter Selz. Seven Decades, 1895–1965: Crosscurrents in Modern Art. Exh. cat., M. Knoedler & Co., Inc. New York, 1966, p. 61, no. 96, ill.
John Richardson. Homage to Picasso for His 90th Birthday: Joint Exhibition of Paintings and Works on Paper. Exh. cat., Saidenberg Gallery and Marlborough Gallery. New York, 1971, p. 30, no. 16, ill.
Hilton Kramer. "Double Show Salutes Picasso at 90." New York Times (October 7, 1971), p. 56, ill.
Franco Russoli and Fiorella Minervino. L'opera completa di Picasso cubista. Milan, 1972, p. 111, no. 479, ill., as "Fruttiera e frutta".
Donald E. Gordon. Modern Art Exhibitions, 1900–1916: Selected Catalogue Documentation. Vol. 2, Munich, 1974, pp. 616, 664.
Josep Palau i Fabre. Picasso en Cataluña. 2nd ed. Barcelona, 1975, p. 268, no. 234, ill. p. 186, as "Frutero y frutas".
Françoise Cachin and Fiorella Minervino. Tout l'oeuvre peint de Picasso, 1907–1916. Paris, 1977, p. 111, no. 479, ill., as "Compotier et fruits".
Pierre Daix and Joan Rosselet. Picasso, The Cubist Years, 1907–1916: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings and Related Works. 2nd ed. [1st ed., 1979, French]. Boston, 1979, pp. 103, 280, no. 475, ill., as "Bowl of Fruit (The Fruit Dish)" (French ed., as "Compotier et fruits").
Isabelle Monod-Fontaine et al. Donation Louise et Michel Leiris: Collection Kahnweiler-Leiris. Exh. cat., Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou. Paris, 1984, pp. 168–69 (cited in a letter from Picasso to Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, June 20, 1912).
Judith Cousins inPicasso and Braque: Pioneering Cubism. Ed. William Rubin. Exh. cat., Museum of Modern Art. New York, 1989, p. 396 (cited in a letter from Picasso to Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, June 20, 1912) (French ed., 1990, German ed., 1990, and Spanish ed., 1991, pp. 376–77).
Josep Palau i Fabre. Picasso: Cubism, 1907–1917. New York, 1990, p. 507, no. 686, ill. p. 249, as "Fruit-bowl and Fruit".
Pierre Daix inPicassos Surrealismus: Werke, 1925–1937. Ed. Ulrich Weisner. Exh. cat., Kunsthalle Bielefeld. Bielefeld, Bonn, and Stuttgart, 1991, p. 195, as "Compotier et fruits".
Carsten-Peter Warncke. Pablo Picasso, 1881–1973. Ed. Ingo F. Walther. Vol. 1, The Works 1890–1936. Cologne, 1992, p. 212, ill., as "Obstschale und Früchte".
Pierre Cabanne. Le siècle de Picasso. Vol. 1, La naissance du Cubisme (1881–1912). Rev. ed. (1st ed., 1975). Paris, 1992, p. 398.
John Richardson with the collaboration of Marilyn McCully. A Life of Picasso. Vol. 2, 1907–1917. New York, 1996, p. 238.
Carl Einstein. Die Kunst des 20. Jahrhunderts. Ed. Uwe Fleckner and Thomas W. Gaehtgens. New ed. (1st ed., 1931). Berlin, 1996, pp. 130, 774, ill. p. 442, as "Der blaue Laden," in the collection of Galerie Flechtheim.
Brigitte Leal inPicasso: Dessins et papiers collés; Céret, 1911–1913. Exh. cat., Musée d'art moderne de Céret. Céret, 1997, p. 53, fig. 10, as "Compotier et fruits".
T. J. Clark. Farewell to an Idea: Episodes from a History of Modernism. New Haven, 1999, p. 183 (cited in a letter from Picasso to Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, June 20, 1912), fig. 102, as "Fruitbowl and Fruit".
and Pavla Sadílková Lada Hubatová-Vacková inVincenc Kramář: From Old Masters to Picasso. Exh. cat., National Gallery. Prague, 2000, p. 226–27, ill. (as reproduced on a picture postcard).
Pavla Sadílková and Lada Hubatová-Vacková inVincenc Kramář: Un théorician et collectionneur du cubisme à Prague. Exh. cat., Réunion des Musées Nationaux. Paris, 2002, pp. 228–29, 307 n. 65, ill., (as reproduced on an illustrated postcard).
Johanna Dahm. Der Blick des Hermaphroditen: Carl Einstein und die Kunst des 20. Jahrunderts. Würzburg, 2004, p. 212, as "Der blaue Laden".
Julia May Boddewyn in Michael FitzGerald. Picasso and American Art. Exh. cat., Whitney Museum of American Art. New York, 2006, p. 332.
Michael FitzGerald. Picasso and American Art. Exh. cat., Whitney Museum of American Art. New York, 2006, pp. 85, 386, pl. 40.
Emily D. Bilski. Die "Moderne Galerie" von Heinrich Thannhauser/ The "Moderne Galerie" of Heinrich Thannhauser. Exh. cat., Jüdisches Museum München. Munich, 2008, pp. 28, 60, no. 15, ill. p. 53.
Cornelius Tittel. "Der wahre Beginn der Moderne." Die Welt (June 7, 2013), p. 28, ill.
"Objects Promised to the Museum during the Year 2012–2013." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, One Hundred Forty-third Annual Report of the Trustees for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2013 (2013), p. 47.
Jack Flam inCubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection. Ed. Emily Braun and Rebecca Rabinow. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2014, pp. 143–44, 312(3)n.18, (4)n.19, no. 67, ill. p. 142 (color).
Anna Jozefacka and Luise Mahler inCubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection. Ed. Emily Braun and Rebecca Rabinow. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2014, p. 290, fig. 67 (reproduced on a postcard published by Neue Kunst, Hans Goltz, Munich, in 1912).
Emily Braun and Leonard A. Lauder inCubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection. Ed. Emily Braun and Rebecca Rabinow. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2014, pp. 18–19.
Alan Hyman, ed. The Picasso Project: Picasso's Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings, and Sculpture, A Comprehensive Illustrated Catalogue, 1885–1973. Vol. 1909–1912, Analytic Cubism. San Francisco, 2015, pp. lv, 205, 322, 332, no. 1912-055, ill. p. 205.
"The Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection: A Conversation with Emily Braun and Pepe Karmel." IFAR Journal 16, no. 3 (2015), fig. 2 (color, on display in the living room of the Lauder residence, New York, 2014).
Béatrice Joyeux-Prunel inPicasso und Deutschland: Die Sammlung Würth in Kooperation mit dem Museo Picasso Málaga. Ed. José Lebrero Stals. Exh. cat., Museo Picasso Málaga. Künzelsau, 2016, p. 268 n. 40.
Enrique Mallen. "Reaching for Success: Picasso's Rise in the Market (The First Two Decades)." Arts 6 (April 6, 2017), p. 13, calls it "Compotier et fruits".
Emilia Philippot. "Céret." Dictionnaire du Cubisme. Ed. Brigitte Leal. Paris, 2018, p. 142, as "Compotier et fruits"; erroneously listed as in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Alex Katz. Looking at Art with Alex Katz. London, 2018, ill. p. 126 (color), erroneously listed as in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Enrique Mallen. Pablo Picasso: The Interaction between Collectors and Exhibitions, 1899-1939. Brighton, Portland, and Toronto, 2018, pp. 24, 77, 259, no. 430, as "Compotier et fruits".
Charles W. Haxthausen in Carl Einstein. A Mythology of Forms: Selected Writings on Art. Ed. Charles W. Haxthausen. Chicago, 2019, p. 152.
Carl Einstein. A Mythology of Forms: Selected Writings on Art. Ed. Charles W. Haxthausen. Chicago, 2019, p. 240, fig. 7.3.
William Jeffett inPicasso and the Allure of the South. Exh. cat., Dalí Museum. St. Petersburg, Fla., 2021, pp. 28, 208, no. 124.
Emilia Philippot inPicasso and the Allure of the South. Exh. cat., Dalí Museum. St. Petersburg, Fla., 2021, p. 65, no. 124.
Picasso and the Allure of the South. Exh. cat., Dalí Museum. St. Petersburg, Fla., 2021, pp. 208, 234, no. 124, ill. p. 81 (color).
Dimitri Salmon, ed. Les Louvre de Pablo Picasso. Exh. cat., Musée du Louvre-Lens. Lens, 2021, fig. 52 (recorded as “1087” on page 2 of the list “Tableaux […] mis en dépôt au musée du Louvre par la Commission de Récupération Artistique jusqu’au moment où celle-ci les restituera à leur légitime propriétaire,” dated 25 October 1945).
Written (across stretcher crossbar, in white chalk): SANS V[E]RNIR
Leonard A. Lauder discusses his appreciation of the Cubist works of art he has collected. Leonard A. Lauder answers the question: "Which is your favorite picture?"
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