“Picasso Looks at “Degas”

Edgar Degas - Self-Portrait, ca. 1857–1858 - Oil on paper, mounted on canvas, 10-1/4 x 7-1/2 inches - Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MassachusettsEdgar Degas - Self-Portrait, ca. 1857–1858 - Oil on paper, mounted on canvas, 10-1/4 x 7-1/2 inches - Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts (click photo for larger image)Pablo Picasso - Self-Portrait, 1896 - Oil on canvas, 13 x 9-1/2 inches - Museu Picasso, Barcelona (click photo for larger image)

“Throughout his long and prolific career, Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) observed and absorbed the work of other artists. One artist Picasso particularly admired was Edgar Degas (1834–1917).”

This is the opening line of an article by Sarah Lees, associate curator of European art at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts. written for “Antiques and Fine Art Magazine” to help promote a 2010 exhibit. It’s a very interesting discussion—and we strongly encourage you to read it. Picasso was not an artist who ever needed to copy or imitate anyone. But he was like a sponge—taking up everything around him and adding it to his own pictorial language.