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Composition with Violin

Paris, 1912
Not on view
In this two-dimensional variant of one of Picasso’s paperboard-and-string constructions, the illegible newsprint laid on its side evokes the fine grain of a violin’s wood case. The map of lines surrounding the instrument, perhaps indicating where other cutouts might go, recalls the gridlike structure of many trompe l’oeil board paintings (including the nearby Harnett). To judge by the violin’s long, narrow form and pointed lower section, Picasso had a “kit” in mind. Small enough to be kept in a pocket, kit violins were used by seventeenth- and eighteenth-century dance teachers and street musicians and occasionally appear tucked behind straps in letter-rack paintings.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Composition with Violin
  • Artist: Pablo Picasso (Spanish, Malaga 1881–1973 Mougins, France)
  • Date: Paris, 1912
  • Medium: Charcoal, graphite, collage of found printed paper, and black ink on paper, mounted on board
  • Dimensions: 24 × 18 3/8 in. (61 × 46.7 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection, Gift of Leonard A. Lauder, 2016
  • Object Number: 2016.237.22
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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