I have many favourite 20th century artists but few have influenced my practice quite like Picasso. His bold, abstract portrayals of the human form and monochromatic cubist meditations have inspired my creativity in so many ways from my own painting to my home’s interior design. I’ve been lucky enough to see some of his artwork on display but I know I’ll never own a real Picasso.
Truth be told, I wouldn’t have the guts to display a genuine Picasso in my home. I’d be terrified of light deterioration and theft. So it’s probably for the best that my Picasso is actually an embroidered cushion by Jules Pansu in Paris, available from Banbayu.
This particular piece, The Femme a la fleur, is a painting of Picasso’s lover, Françoise Gilot, aged 21 at the time, who was almost 40 years his junior. Although Picasso was a known womaniser, you can tell by the soft shapes, bright colours and delicate, enveloping flower that the romance was particularly special to him and it’s why this piece resonates a great deal with me.
The vividness of the pallet manages to complement the neutral colour cheme we have in our home, especially the muted tones of our furniture and decor. In smaller rooms (which make up the majority of our home) I’ll add splashes of colour to maintain a light open feel.
As much as I want to preserve my Picasso, I’m not going to shy away from using it as the embroidery cover is hard wearing, like a tapestry and can be removed from the insert to be washed.
This iconic image has added a beautiful focal point to my room, one that isn’t framed and on the walls. It’s more effective as a one-off furnishing rather than many “paintings” together which could look too deliberately worldly.
Have you got any original pieces of artwork? How have you displayed them?
