The Tragedy

1903

Pablo Picasso

Artist, Spanish, 1881 - 1973

Painted entirely in shades of blue, this vertical scene shows a woman, an elderly man, and a young child standing close to each other near the edge of gently lapping waves. All three people have gray complexions tinged with blue, are barefoot, and their features, clothing, and bodies are outlined. To our left, the woman’s back is to us, and her face is turned in profile to our right as she looks down at the ground. Her navy-blue, nearly black hair is pulled up in a loose bun. She wears a deep ocean-blue shawl over a long skirt that covers her entire body except for bare toes peeking out under the hem. The form of the shawl protrudes a bit on the right as if she holds her arm across her body. The slightly taller man stands across from her to our right with his body mirroring the woman’s. He crosses his arms tightly across his chest as he gazes down in profile. The eye we can see is deeply shadowed, and his hands are tucked into his elbows. He has a beard and short, dark hair with streaks of sky blue. His long, marine-blue shirt blends into his pants, which are cut off at the ankles. Unlike the woman, he stands with the weight on one foot, the other knee bent. To our right and in front of the man, the child stands facing our left in profile. He has short, dark hair, and he looks toward the woman. He touches or gestures near the man’s thigh with his right hand, farther from us, and holds his other out in front of his waist. His shawl has a reddish tint, which contrasts with his ankle-length, stone-blue pants. The trio stands on aquamarine-tinted sand before gentle waves along a shoreline. In the top third of painting, the sky is a block of celestial blue. The artist signed his name, “Picasso,” in a dark blue in the lower right corner and dated the painting, “1903” in the upper right.
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On View

East Building Mezzanine, Gallery 217-C

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on wood

  • Credit Line

    Chester Dale Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 105.3 x 69 cm (41 7/16 x 27 3/16 in.)
    framed: 127 x 90.8 x 8.9 cm (50 x 35 3/4 x 3 1/2 in.)

  • Accession

    1963.10.196

  • Copyright

    © 2012 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Possibly Alfred Flechtheim [1878-1937], Düsseldorf.[1] Professor Kreis, Düsseldorf, in 1913.[2] Paul Schüler [1876-1942] Bochum, Germany, by 1927 until c. 1929.[3] (Paul P. Rosenberg et Cie., Paris); sold 15 May 1930 to Chester Dale [1883-1962], New York; bequest 1963 to NGA.
[1] Dale records give "Flechtheim, Dusseldorf" as part of provenance, but this was not included in the 1965 NGA catalogue of the Dale Collection. The Flechtheim gallery operated by Alfred Flechtheim [1878-1937] first opened in Düsseldorf and later in Berlin.
[2] The painting was lent by Professor Kreis to a 1913 exhibition in Munich.
[3] The invoice from Paul Rosenberg to Chester Dale incorrectly names the prior owner as Mr. Schubert, Bochum. Information regarding Paul Schüler's ownership was kindly provided by Stefan Koldehoff (copies in NGA curatorial files). The incorrect name on the Rosenberg invoice suggests that he did not acquire the painting directly from Schüler.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1912

  • Internationale Kunstausstellung des Sonderbundes Westdeutscher Kunstfreunde und Künstler zu Cöln, Städtische Ausstellungshalle, Cologne, 1912, no. 210, as Die Armen am Meer.

1913

  • Picasso, Moderne Galerie Heinrich Thannhauser, Munich, 1913, no. 8, repro., as Die Armen am Meer.

1931

  • Picasso-Braque-Léger, Museum of French Art, New York, 1931, no. 2.

1943

  • Twentieth Century French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection, Art Institute of Chicago, 1943-1952 (extended loan), unnumbered catalogue, repro. p. 44

1952

  • Twentieth Century French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1952, no. 48, repro.

1965

  • The Chester Dale Bequest, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1965, unnumbered checklist.

1978

  • Aspects of Twentieth-Century Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1978-1979, no. 3, repro.

1980

  • Post-Impressionism: Cross-Currents in European and American Painting 1880-1906, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1980, not in cat.

1997

  • Picasso: The Early Years, 1892-1906, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1997-1998, no. 92, color repro., as Tragedy (shown only in Washington).

2010

  • From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, January 2010-January 2012, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

Bibliography

1932

  • Zervos, Christian. Pablo Picasso. 33 vols. Paris, 1932-1978: 1(1957): no. 208, pl. 93.

1938

  • Pemberton, Murdock. "Ambassador to Art." Esquire (February 1938): repro.

1943

  • Twentieth Century French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1943:, 44, repro.

1952

  • Twentieth Century French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1952 (2nd ed., 1960; rev. ed., 1965): 48, repro.

1960

  • Twentieth Century French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1960 (2nd ed.): 50, repro.

1965

  • Twentieth Century French Paintings & Sculpture of the French School in the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965 (rev. ed.): 69, repro.

  • Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 102.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 89, repro.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 266, repro.

1984

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 602, no. 936, color repro.

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 308, repro.

Inscriptions

lower right: Picasso; upper right: 1903

Wikidata ID

Q3909614

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