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Still Life with Fan: "L'Indépendant"

Céret, summer 1911
Not on view
Presumably aware that this painting might seem impenetrable at first glance, Picasso provided a literal reference that he thought would be recognizable to anyone: the masthead of L’Indépendant, the local newspaper of Céret, the French town in the foothills of the Pyrenees where he was staying. The reproduction of the folded newspaper provides information about the scale and subject matter of the painting and may prompt a viewer to seek out other identifiable objects, such as the curve of the café table at right or the five-petal flower on a curved stem, bottle, and glass at center. The individual gray and blond brushstrokes lend an optical vibrancy and contrast with the dark contour lines in the painting’s center.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Still Life with Fan: "L'Indépendant"
  • Artist: Pablo Picasso (Spanish, Malaga 1881–1973 Mougins, France)
  • Date: Céret, summer 1911
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 24 × 19 3/4 in. (61 × 50.2 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection, Gift of Leonard A. Lauder, 2025
  • Object Number: 2025.616.31
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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