Literature

Bloch, Georges. Pablo Picasso: Catalogue de l'Œuvre Gravé et Lithographié, Vol. IV. Bern: Kornfeld & Klipstein, 1968–1979. (Bloch 1087)

Geiser, Bernhard and Brigitte Baer. Picasso: Peintre-Graveur, Catalogue Raisonné de l'Œuvre Gravé et des Monotypes, Vol. VII. Bern: Kornfeld, 1986–1996. (Baer 1307)

Wofsy, Alan, ed. The Complete Linoleum Cuts, 1939–1968. San Francisco: Alan Wofsy Fine Arts, 2012. (L.128)

Orozco, Miguel. The Complete Linocuts of Pablo Picasso. (Orozco 399)

Published by

Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris

Printed by

Arnéra, Vallauris

Dimensions

Image: 34.6 x 26.8 cm (13⅝ x 10 9/16 in.)

Sheet: 57.2 x 43.8 cm (22½ x 17¼ in.)

Public Collections

Museu Picasso, Barcelona (gift of Jaume Sabartés)

Condition

A fine, richly coloured impression with strong contrasts and full margins. Signed in pencil by the artist. In excellent condition.

Catalogue Note

Executed in January 1962, Jeune Homme Couronné de Feuillage belongs to Picasso's celebrated late linocut period and demonstrates the extraordinary inventiveness that characterised his graphic work during the final decades of his career. Working in collaboration with the master printer Hidalgo Arnéra in Vallauris, Picasso explored the possibilities of the reduction linocut process, printing successive colours from a single block through a sequence of cutting and reworking.

The present composition was conceived as a companion piece to Homme Barbu Couronné de Feuilles de Vigne, another portrait from the same period. While its companion is more linear in character, Jeune Homme Couronné de Feuillage adopts a more monumental and boldly structured approach. The portrait is dominated by a frontal face that appears both symmetrical and subtly fractured, a hallmark of Picasso's mature visual language. Large, expressive eyes, simplified facial features and strong colour divisions combine to create a powerful image that balances youthful innocence with psychological intensity.

The wreath of foliage resting across the sitter's head evokes themes of classical antiquity, renewal and vitality, recalling the laurel crowns of ancient Greece and Rome while simultaneously transforming them through Picasso's distinctly modern vision. The restrained palette of earthy tones enhances the sculptural quality of the face and reinforces the work's timeless character.

Printed in a relatively small edition of only fifty impressions, Jeune Homme Couronné de Feuillage is an elegant and highly desirable example of Picasso's late printmaking achievement, combining technical innovation, classical reference and the unmistakable visual power of his mature style.