Picasso and Martin Kippenberger

2 February 2016
When Kippenberger saw David Douglas Duncan’s photographs of Pablo Picasso in 1988, he was particularly struck by one of them...

Martin Kippenberger, Podria prestarte algo, pero en eso no te haria ningùn favor, Galeria Leyendecker (T.Ü) [Je pourrais sans doute te prêter quelque chose, mais je ne te rendrais pas service, Galeria Leyendecker (T.Ü.)] 1985 Sérigraphie, 83,8 × 59,4 cm, Cologne, Estate of Martin Kippenberger, Galerie Gisela Capitain © Estate of Martin Kippenberger, Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne

In it, Picasso is standing on the steps of his Cannes house, La Californie, wearing enormous briefs. Kippenberger used these oversized underpants to show his admiration for and identification with Picasso. Paying tribute to his favourite retreat, the Elite Hotel, he reproduced the calendar published every year by the modelling agency of the same name. With a total lack of vanity, he photographed himself dressed in underwear sized for his generous proportions. He later used these photos to create a series of large-format paintings. Another series of Duncan’s photographs inspired Kippenberger’s second tribute to Picasso. Taken following the Spanish artist’s death, they show his widow, Jacqueline, overcome by melancholy. They led Kippenberger to produce a series of coloured crayon drawings, which he later used as the basis for paintings.

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