Pablo Picasso 1881-1973

Pablo Picasso and Tapestry: a lasting collaboration

Pablo Picasso's interest in tapestry stemmed from his desire to expand his artistic language beyond painting. This decisive encounter with textile art was made possible by Marie Cuttoli, a major figure in the revival of French tapestry in the 20th century.

In the 1930s, Marie Cuttoli invited Picasso to adapt some of his compositions into monumental tapestries. Iconic works such as Les Masques and Jacqueline perfectly illustrate this transposition: the graphic power of the faces, the simplification of forms, and the frontality of the figures find new intensity in wool and silk. Tapestry thus became a medium capable of amplifying the physical and symbolic presence of the subjects dear to Picasso.

This approach was in line with the spirit of the Madoura workshop in Vallauris, with which Picasso collaborated intensively from 1947 onwards. Although Madoura is primarily associated with ceramics, its importance lies in the vision it shares with the artist: to break down the boundaries between major art and craftsmanship, and to create a dialogue between contemporary creation and traditional know-how. This philosophy also permeates Picasso's tapestries, which were conceived not as simple reproductions, but as works in their own right.

Picasso's tapestries—particularly those depicting human figures, masks, or Jacqueline—are thus a genuine extension of his work, where the material, scale, and rhythm of the textile reinforce the expressive power of his universe. Today, they occupy an essential place in the history of modern tapestry.