Picasso, Pablo, Bust, 1971

In the final years of his career, Picasso used a palette rich in color. In Buste d’homme à la flûte arborant un chapeau (Bust of a Man with a Flute and Hat), a layer of light paint, quickly applied, covers painted elements that can be seen through. This structure of layers and material contrasts with the few unpainted parts of the painting (the hat, the cheek, the bust), which nonetheless carry the same weight in the composition. The work was included in the major Picasso 1970-1972 exhibition at the Palais des Papes in Avignon in 1973.