Pablo Picasso The Charnel House Paris, 1944-45

  • MoMA, Floor 5, 522 The Alfred H. Barr, Jr. Galleries

Echoing Guernica in its composition, abstracted forms and political content, _The Charnel House_was inspired by newspaper war photographs, the tones of which are reflected in its somber black-and-white palette. The central jumble of figures—a murdered family sprawled beneath a dining table—might suggest the piles of corpses discovered in Nazi concentration camps upon their liberation. While Guernica, a commentary on the Spanish Civil War, may be seen as signaling the violent beginning of World War II, The Charnel House marks its horrific end.

Gallery label from 2008.
Medium
Oil and charcoal on canvas
Dimensions
6' 6 5/8" x 8' 2 1/2" (199.8 x 250.1 cm)
Credit
Mrs. Sam A. Lewisohn Bequest (by exchange), and Mrs. Marya Bernard Fund in memory of her husband Dr. Bernard Bernard, and anonymous funds
Object number
93.1971
Copyright
© 2024 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Department
Painting and Sculpture

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Provenance Research Project

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1945 - 1954, Pablo Picasso, Paris.

1954 - 1971, Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., New York and Warrenton, Virginia, purchased from the artist.

1971, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, acquired by exchange and purchased from Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

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