Ideas and Forms in Art: Stories on Love, War & Industry, and Women: A Gould Center Passion Project

Le Demoiselles d'Avignon

Ah, perhaps the most famous artist of all. Picasso is mainly known for (1) cubism and, (2) his women whether they’re made out of oil or not. The forms in this work are exactly what I’d expect. There are five women. Geometric angles and sharpened curves make them up. They all seem to have an olive complexion (I think this will depend on the saturation of the digital image). Their complexion is clear because they are all almost entirely naked. Indeed, I can’t tell if we are looking at the back or the front of the woman in the bottom right corner. Despite the side profile of the two women in the upper corners, it seems like they are all staring at me. I know the title has something to do with women and the place Avignon. A room filled with naked women and a prepared plate of fruit reminds me of a brothel. The question is: who are they waiting for? Picasso?

It turns out this painting was named Le Bordel d'Avignon by Picasso.¹ This translates to “the brothel of Avignon.” Avignon is a significantly religious city in France. It was an art critic who renamed it during an exhibition despite Picasso’s disapproval. Now, the title means translates to “the young ladies of Avignon.” Despite the setting of them in a brothel, each woman represents their sexual power. The women command what art critic Leo Steinberg claims is the resurgence of the reversed gaze. The women’s gazes are alluring, but this time, they aren’t doing it for the male gaze. The women are “self-possessed.” They are owning their bodies and their power over the audience. I think Picasso was right by wanting to name these women where they are. Their truth gives them power. They make a space for themselves.


¹ Les Demoiselles D'Avignon, 1907 by Pablo Picasso, Pablopicasso.org, 2020, www.pablopicasso.org/avignon.jsp.

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