Pablo PicassoSpanish, 1881–1973The Old Guitarist
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Not receiving at present
Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- 4 hours ago
- In this state since
- Aug 16, 2026
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the painting
The Old Guitarist is an oil painting by Pablo Picasso, which he created in late 1903 and early 1904. It depicts an elderly musician, a haggard man with threadbare clothing, who is hunched over his guitar while playing in the streets of Barcelona, Spain. It is on display at the Art Institute of Chicago as part of the Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection.
At the time of The Old Guitarist's creation, Modernism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and Symbolism had greatly influenced Picasso's style. Furthermore, El Greco, Picasso's poor standard of living, and the suicide of his dear friend Carlos Casagemas influenced Picasso's style at the time which came to be known as his Blue Period. Several x-rays, infrared images and examinations by curators revealed three different figures hidden behind the old guitarist.
Particulars
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago: the museum's own open data · fetched 4 days ago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — © the artist or rights holder
Meanwhile, in the life of Pablo Picasso
The whole life1895–1904 · Workplace
Barcelona
17 February 1901
Suicide of Carlos Casagemas
The suicide of his close friend Carlos Casagemas deeply shook the young Picasso and became one of the impulses behind the Blue Period.
1901–1904
The Blue Period
The Blue Period began — somber paintings in blue-green tones with themes of poverty and sorrow; Picasso divided his time between Barcelona and Paris.
1904
Move to Paris, Beginning of the Rose Period
Picasso settled in the Bateau-Lavoir residence in Montmartre; the sorrow of the Blue Period gave way to images of the theater and the circus — the Rose Period began.
1904
Meeting Fernande Olivier
In Paris Picasso met the bohemian artist Fernande Olivier, who became his lover and the model for many Rose Period paintings.
1905
Meeting the Steins and Matisse
Picasso became a favorite of the collectors Leo and Gertrude Stein; at one of Gertrude Stein's gatherings in 1905 he met Henri Matisse — a lifelong friend and rival.
