1933

Minotaur with a Cup in his Hand and Young Woman

Spanish, 1881 - 1973

This print marks the first appearance of the Minotaur in the Vollard Suite, named for the print publisher and art dealer Ambroise Vollard (French, 1866–1939). Although the one hundred etchings in the suite are lacking in narrative unity, Picasso’s images appear to relate a personal odyssey. In adopting the mythical Minotaur as his alter ego, the artist removes the creature from its dark labyrinth in the Palace of Knossos on the Mediterranean island of Crete and places the beast in the artist’s bright studio, where he raises a toast alongside a reclining mode.