Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), from the series "Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe" (Lunches on the Grass). Variations on "Breakfast on the Grass" by E. Manet

Color lithograph, Arches velin paper, 20.5 x 32 cm in light passe - partout, 31.5 x 43 cm; dated on plate p.d.: 26.7.61 IV; exclusive edition financed by Banka Popolare di Milano. Publisher : Arti Grafiche Milanesi , executed at Atelier Fernand Mourlot.

Pablo Picasso's series of works entitled "Lunches on the Grass" (orig. "Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe") is an extensive series of variations in which the Spanish master creatively confronted Édouard Manet's monumental, and controversial for the time, painting of the same title, known in Poland as "Breakfast on the Grass."

The series was mainly created between 1959 and 1962 (although they sometimes date as far back as 1954, when the sketchbook began to be created, to 1964). Picasso created: 27 oil paintings, more than 150 drawings, sketches , lithographs and linocuts.
Picasso was fascinated by Manet's painting, which caused a scandal in Paris in 1863, marking a breakthrough in modern painting. Through his variations, Picasso entered into a dialogue with Manet and his approach to the subject of the nude and composition, while incorporating these motifs into his own unique artistic language.

In his series of works, Picasso subjects Manet's original work to a radical transformation, in keeping with his post-Cubist aesthetic: he retains Manet's main compositional scheme: two clothed male figures and a nude woman in the foreground, and another female figure in the background, bathing in a stream.

Manet's realism and treatment of light are replaced by cubist and sometimes expressionist deformations. Picasso uses a more intense, often brighter and simplified color palette, deviating from Manet's tonality.

A unique aspect of the series is the realization of Manet's scenes in the form of outdoor sculptures. Picasso created mock-ups, which were then realized by Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar in large format using concrete and sandblasting (such as the sculpture at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm).

The "Lunches on the Grass" series is a testament to Picasso's late but intense work, in which he demonstrated his freedom to draw on tradition while deconstructing and transforming it.


The frames shown in the visuals are for illustrative purposes and do not constitute a commercial offer.