Las Meninas is a series of 58 paintings that Pablo Picasso painted in 1957 by performing a comprehensive analysis, reinterpreting and recreating several times Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez. The suite is fully preserved at the Museu Picasso in Barcelona and is the only complete series of the artist that remains together. This is a very extensive survey work, which consists of 45 performances of the original picture, 9 scenes of a dove,[1] 3 landscapes and a portrait of Jacqueline.

Las Meninas
ArtistPablo Picasso
Year1957
TypeOil on canvas
LocationMuseu Picasso

Picasso himself understood this series as a whole, and as such gave them to the museum in Barcelona in May 1968, in memory of Jaume Sabartés, who died the same year. Picasso's famous phrase said to Sabartés in 1950:

If someone want to copy Las Meninas, entirely in good faith, for example, upon reaching a certain point and if that ona was me, I would say..what if you put them a little more to the right or left? I'll try to do it my way, forgetting about Velázquez. The test would surely bring me to modify or change the light because of having changed the position of a character. So, little by little, that would be a detestable Meninas for a traditional painter, but would be my Meninas.

— Picasso, 1950

The suite

edit
# Registry[2] Title Date Format size (cm) Zervos XVII
1 MPB 70.433 Las Meninas (conjunt) 17/08/1957 Oil on canvas 194 x 260 351
2 MPB 70.434 Las Meninas (infanta Margarita María) 20/08/1957 Oil on canvas 100 x 81 353
3 MPB 70.435 Las Meninas (María Agustina Sarmiento) 20/08/1957 Oil on canvas 46 x 37.5 352
4 MPB 70.436 Las Meninas (infanta Margarita María) 21/08/1957 Oil on canvas 100 x 81 356
5 MPB 70.437 Las Meninas (infanta Margarita María) 22/08/1957 Oil on canvas 33 x 24 354
6 MPB 70.438 Las Meninas (infanta Margarita María) 26/08/1957 Oil on canvas 41 x 32,5 357
7 MPB 70.439 Las Meninas (infanta Margarita María) 27/08/1957 Oil on canvas 40,5 x 33 355
8 MPB 70.440 Las Meninas (infanta Margarita María) 27/08/1957 Oil on canvas 33 x 24 361
9 MPB 70.441 Las Meninas (infanta Margarita María) 27/08/1957 Oil on canvas 33 x 24 359
10 MPB 70.442 Las Meninas (infanta Margarita María) 28/08/1957 Oil on canvas 18 x 14 358
11 MPB 70.443 Las Meninas (infanta Margarita María) 28/08/1957 Oil on canvas 18 x 14 360
12 MPB 70.444 Las Meninas (infanta Margarita María) 04/09/1957 Oil on canvas 35 x 27 365
13 MPB 70.445 Las Meninas (composició central) 04/09/1957 Oil on canvas 35 x 27 363
14 MPB 70.446 Las Meninas (conjunt) 04/09/1957 Oil on canvas 46 x 37,5 364
15 MPB 70.447 Las Meninas (infanta Margarita María) 05/09/1957 Oil on canvas 35 x 27 366
16 MPB 70.448 Las Meninas (infanta Margarita María) 06/09/1957 Oil on canvas 41 x 32,5 367
17 MPB 70.449 Las Meninas (infanta Margarita María) 06/09/1957 Oil on canvas 46 x 37,5 362
18 MPB 70.450 Els colomins 06/09/1957 Oil on canvas 100 x 80 394
19 MPB 70.451 Els colomins 06/09/1957 Oil on canvas 100 x 80 395
20 MPB 70.452 Els colomins 07/09/1957 Oil on canvas 33 x 24 398
21 MPB 70.453 Els colomins 07/09/1957 Oil on canvas 100 x 80 396
22 MPB 70.454 Els colomins 07/09/1957 Oil on canvas 80 x 100 No catalogat
23 MPB 70.455 Els colomins 11/09/1957 Oil on canvas 129 x 97 397
24 MPB 70.456 Els colomins 14/09/1957 Oil on canvas 100 x 80 399
25 MPB 70.457 Els colomins 12/09/1957 Oil on canvas 100 x 80 400
26 MPB 70.458 Els colomins 12/09/1957 Oil on canvas 145 x 113 401
27 MPB 70.459 Las Meninas (infanta Margarita María) 14/09/1957 Oil on canvas 100 x 81 368
28 MPB 70.460 Las Meninas (conjunt sense Velázquez) 15/09/1957 Oil on canvas 129 x 161 369
29 MPB 70.461 Las Meninas (María Agustina Sarmiento i infanta Margarita María) 17/09/1957 Oil on canvas 32,5 x 41 371
30 MPB 70.462 Las Meninas (conjunt sense Velázquez) 17/09/1957 Oil on canvas 129 x 161 370
31 MPB 70.463 Las Meninas (conjunt) 18/09/1957 Oil on canvas 129 x 161 372
32 MPB 70.464 Las Meninas (conjunt) 19/09/1957 Oil on canvas 161 x 129 373
33 MPB 70.465 Las Meninas (conjunt) 02/10/1957 Oil on canvas 161 x 129 374
34 MPB 70.466 Las Meninas (conjunt) 03/10/1957 Oil on canvas 129 x 161 375
35 MPB 70.467 Las Meninas (Isabel de Velasco) 09/10/1957 Oil on canvas 65 x 54 377
36 MPB 70.468 Las Meninas (María Agustina Sarmiento) 09/10/1957 Oil on canvas 65 x 54 376
37 MPB 70.469 Las Meninas (María Agustina Sarmiento i infanta Margarita María) 10/10/1957 Oil on canvas 92 x 73 379
38 MPB 70.470 Las Meninas (María Agustina Sarmiento) 10/10/1957 Oil on canvas 73 x 55 378
39 MPB 70.471 Las Meninas (María Agustina Sarmiento) 10/10/1957 Oil on canvas 115 x 89 380
40 MPB 70.472 El Piano 17/10/1957 Oil on canvas 130 x 96 404
41 MPB 70.473 Las Meninas (Nicolasito Pertusato) 24/10/1957 Oil on canvas 61 x 50 382
42 MPB 70.474 Las Meninas (Isabel de Velasco, María Bárbola i Nicolasito Pertusato) 24/10/1957 Oil on canvas 130 x 96 383
43 MPB 70.475 Las Meninas (Isabel de Velasco, María Bárbola i Nicolasito Pertusato) 24/10/1957 Oil on canvas 130 x 96 384
44 MPB 70.476 Las Meninas (Isabel de Velasco, María Bárbola i Nicolasito Pertusato) 24/10/1957 Oil on canvas 130 x 96 381
45 MPB 70.477 Las Meninas (Isabel de Velasco i María Bárbola) 08/11/1957 Oil on canvas 130 x 96 385
46 MPB 70.478 Las Meninas (infanta Margarita María i Isabel de Velasco) 15/11/1957 Oil on canvas 130 x 96 386
47 MPB 70.479 Las Meninas (conjunt sense Velázquez) 15/11/1957 Oil on canvas 130 x 96 387
48 MPB 70.480 Las Meninas (conjunt sense Velázquez ni María Bárbola) 17/11/1957 Oil on canvas 35 x 27 388
49 MPB 70.481 Las Meninas (María Agustina Sarmiento) 17/11/1957 Oil on canvas 24 x 19 389
50 MPB 70.482 Las Meninas (Isabel de Velasco) 17/11/1957 Oil on canvas 24 x 19 392
51 MPB 70.483 Las Meninas (Isabel de Velasco) 17/11/1957 Oil on canvas 27 x 22 393
52 MPB 70.484 Las Meninas (Isabel de Velasco) 17/11/1957 Oil on canvas 24 x 19 390
53 MPB 70.485 Las Meninas (Isabel de Velasco i Nicolasito Pertusato) 17/11/1957 Oil on canvas 24 x 19 391
54 MPB 70.486 Paisatge 02/12/1957 Oil on canvas 14 x 17,5 407
55 MPB 70.487 Paisatge 02/12/1957 Oil on canvas 14 x 18 406
56 MPB 70.488 Paisatge 02/12/1957 Oil on canvas 16 x 22 405
57 MPB 70.489 Retrat de Jacqueline 03/12/1957 Oil on canvas 116 x 89 408
58 MPB 70.490 Las Meninas (Isabel de Velasco) 30/12/1957 Oil on canvas 33 x 24 444

Exhibits

edit
 
Tate Gallery
 
Stedelijk Museum
 
Picasso: Challenging the past exhibit in London

The Suite has been shown in the following exhibitions:

However, there are several works from theSuitethat have been part of other exhibitions. Here you will find the most relevant:

Other versions

edit
 
The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit by John Singer Sargent.
 
Meninas by Manolo Valdés.
 
Whistler in his studio by James Abbott McNeill Whistler.

Velázquez's Las Meninas have served as inspiration not only to Picasso. The first follower of Velazquez was certainly his son-in-law Juan Bautista del Mazo, court painter to Philip IVin 1661. In the portrait of the Infanta Margarita of Spain, 1666, in the backplane, man can see the placement of Charles II and the dwarf Mari Bárbola in a scene similar to Las Meninas by Velazquez.[3] There is a list of some works of artists who also have versioned Las Meninas throughout art history.

References

edit
  1. ^ Artwork commented ast Museu Picasso's website
  2. ^ Rafart 2001
  3. ^ MacLaren, Neil. The Spanisch School, National Gallery.. Londres: Catalogues Rev. Allan Braham. National Gallery, 1970, 52-53. ISBN 0-947645-46-2

Bibliography

edit
edit