The Bottle of Vieux Marc

1913

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

Here, Picasso used an old Leroy paper (displayed below) torn from a wall, possibly by the artist himself. The border was stuck to it, but Picasso split the two apart for his composition. Inspired by Islamic tiles, the wallpaper contrasts with the border, which simulates a classic European molding and stands for the table’s carved edge. The pinned papers lift slightly, creating real shadows that vie with those both drawn by hand and printed on the border. Books on interior decoration published around the turn of the century recommended “Mauresque” (French for Moorish) patterns for the male domains of smoking room and club, where Vieux Marc brandy and newspapers would be found.

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

Title: The Bottle of Vieux Marc
Artist: Pablo Picasso (Spanish, Malaga 1881–1973 Mougins, France)
Date: 1913
Medium: Cut-and-pasted printed wallpapers, newspaper, charcoal, gouache, and pins on laid paper
Dimensions: 24 13/16 × 19 5/16 in. (63 × 49 cm)
Classification: Collages
Credit Line: Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, Donation of M. Henri Laugier, 1963
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art