A sculpture of Pablo Picasso’s corpse was among the aisles and booths of ARCO, Madrid’s contemporary art fair, which closed February 26.
According to ARTnews.com many came to see the apparition of a man who looms large over the history of modern art.
Picasso’s lifeless body, the article states, forms the basis for a work by the Spanish artist Eugenio Merino, titled Aquí Murió Picasso (Picasso Died Here), 2017.
However, rather than being based on Picasso’s actual corpse, it draws inspiration from the image of the artist that many associate with him: the blue-striped Breton shirt, white linen pants, espadrilles.
The work is also quite literally larger than life. Picasso was said to stand 5 feet 4 inches tall, whereas the sculpture is just over 6 feet long.
Citing the Spanish publication El País, the outlet reported that the sculpture “managed to concentrate groups of onlookers” on opening day.
Also, La Vanguardia described the work as “death as a souvenir,” one of the “main centers of attraction for selfie addicts” and the “safe way get likes on Instagram.”
Curated by Los Interventores and presented by ADN Gallery, the sculpture was conceived as a critique of mass tourism, the art fair industrial complex, and the general selfie-fication of the cultural sphere.
The work comes in an edition of three and sells for a tidy €45,000.
