During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Parisian nightlife, teeming with uninhibited hedonism and vulgarity, was a popular theme in artwork. Picasso was still living in Barcelona during 1900 until the World’s Fair drew him to Paris for the first time. During the course of his two-month stay, he fully immersed himself in the art galleries, bohemian cafés, nightclubs, and dance halls of Montmartre. Le Moulin de la Galette is the artist’s first Parisian painting, portraying his fascination with the decadence, gaudiness, and glamor of the renowned dance hall. It was here that bourgeois patrons and prostitutes rubbed shoulders; an act utterly unacceptable on the streets. Yet the artist assumes a perspective of a sympathetic and intrigued observer of the spectacle of entertainment, conveying provocative appeal and artificiality. The buzzing scene is interpreted as a dizzying blur of fashionable figures with expressionless faces: a testament to Picasso’s own personal feelings towards the bourgeoisie. Picasso had yet to develop his unique, signature Cubist style; however, Le Moulin de la Galette is nonetheless an artistic accomplishment. Picasso had just turned 19 years old at the time of its production.

SKU: 6097
Creator: Pablo Picasso
Date: 1898-99
Original Medium: oil wash and conte crayon on paper
Original Size: 18 9/16 x 12 1/8 in.
Location: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
© Succession Picasso 2011