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La Pique 1
Fine art lithograph This artwork is La Pique I (The Pike I), a 1959 lithograph by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.

Artwork Details

• Artist. Pablo Picasso (1881–1973).
• Title. La Pique I (The Pike I).
• Date & Location. Created on September 2, 1959, in Cannes, France (dated in reverse as "2.9.59" in the upper right corner of the plate).
• Medium. Lithograph printed on Arches wove paper.
• Edition & Catalog References. Issued in a signed, numbered edition of 50 (plus artist's proofs) published by Maeght Éditeur, Paris. It is cataloged as Bloch 898 and Mourlot 324.

Subject & Composition

• Theme. Bullfighting (tauromaquia) was a lifelong motif for Picasso, which he revisited extensively in lithographs and linocuts during 1959.
• Scene. Using fluid, continuous black contour lines, Picasso depicts the dramatic confrontation of a picador on horseback thrusting a long lance (pique) toward a charging bull. A smaller stylized bird-like figure hovers in the upper right space above the bull.
• Collection. An impression of this print is held in the permanent collection of the Museu Picasso Barcelona.
La Pique 1 - Before (Poster)
Before