Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) - Minotaure Aveugle Guidé par une Fillette dans la Nuit, from La Suite Vollard

1934

1934, pencil signed, from the edition of 260 (there was also an edition of 50 with wider margins), with full margins, Lacourière, Paris, printer, Ambroise Vollard, Paris, published in 1939. Etching and drypoint with aquatint on Montval paper with Picasso watermark.
image: 9 ½ x 13 ½ in. (24.1 x 34.3cm)
sheet: 13 1/4 x 17 ½ in (33.7 x 44.5cm)
[Bloch, 225; Baer, 437]

Picasso's Minotaure Aveugle Guidé par une Fillette dans la Nuit (Blind Minotaur Led by a Little Girl in the Night), plate 97 from La Suite Vollard (1934), is an etching rife with symbolism and open to multiple interpretations. The work depicts a subversion of the Minotaur myth. Here, the monstrous creature, traditionally a fearsome inhabitant of the labyrinth, is transformed into a vulnerable figure. Blinded and reeling, he relies on a young girl, often identified as Marie-Thérèse Walter, Picasso's muse and lover, to guide him through the darkness. The girl clutches a dove, a universal symbol of peace, further emphasizing the stark contrast between the monstrous and the innocent.Art historians have long proposed various interpretations of this enigmatic scene. On a personal level, it can be seen as a meditation on the complexities of desire and creation. The powerful Minotaur, arguably representing Picasso's own creative impulses, is rendered helpless, reliant on the innocence and purity personified by the girl. This might suggest a recognition of the destructive potential of unrestrained passion, or a yearning for a more innocent and peaceful approach to art-making.Alternatively, the scene may be viewed within the context of the tumultuous 1930s. Europe was on the brink of war, its future uncertain and its recent past steeped in violence. The blind Minotaur, with its brutish form, could symbolize a continent on the verge of self-destruction. The young girl, then, becomes a beacon of hope, offering a fragile possibility of peace and a guiding light through the coming darkness. By depicting the Minotaur as blind, Picasso intimates the dangers of unchecked aggression and the urgent need for clear-sighted leadership. Minotaure Aveugle Guidé par une Fillette dans la Nuit, therefore, functions as a nuanced commentary on both the artist's inner world and the turbulent circumstances in which he lived and labored.

Sotheby's, New York, sale of November 3, 2014, lot 7.

Acquired directly from the above sale.

Private Collection, California.