Dog Art Today

Picasso’s Other Dogs: The Afghans and The Boxer

Written by

Moira McLaughlin

in

,

Picasso_afghan_hound_1

Picasso and Kabul by David Douglas Duncan, 1959 or later.

When my friend Tom Turley sent me a link to photographs of Pablo Picasso and his Dachshund, Lump, by David Douglas Duncan, I almost didn't click on the link.  I thought I had seen them all.  Well, aside from finding a cache of new Lump photos (I will share in a later post), I also discovered that Picasso wasn't a one dog man.

Yes, Lump the Dachshund is said to have been "the only animal Picasso took in his arms."  But clearly Picasso had a great fondness for other breeds too, especially Afghans.  As far as I can tell he owned three in his lifetime; Kabul, Kasbec, and Sauterelle.   Here are some photos.

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Picasso and Kasbec.  Photographer unknown.   Via Afghan Hound Archives.

Picasso_afghan_hound_3

Picasso, Jacqueline Roque, and Kabul, 1962.  Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images via Jamd.

Picasso_afghan_hound_4

Kabul and Sauterelle by David Douglas Duncan, 1975.

This last photo was taken two years after Picasso died.  Kabul's expression breaks my heart.  Duncan described him as spending "his last days gazing
at the villa as though remembering those early years when he was constantly
at the side of Picasso and Jacqueline."  He died shortly after this photograph was taken.

I have yet to find any Afghans who made their way into Picasso's paintings, but many believe his 1967 sculpture in Chicago's Daley Plaza is actually Kabul's head.

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Untitled, 1967

Lump the Dachshund also shared Picasso with a Boxer named Jan, seen here in a staring contest outside their master's studio…

…and a goat named Esmerelda, here tied to a statue of herself…

I spent several hours on David Douglas Duncan's website.  His photos are extraordinary and the online exhibition is excellent.  Click here to visit it yourself.

Comments

10 responses to “Picasso’s Other Dogs: The Afghans and The Boxer”

  1. Elizabeth Avatar
    Elizabeth

    Great post, Moira. I never tire, actually, of photos of Picasso and his women and now dogs…and goats…

    Reply
  2. nancy schutt Avatar
    nancy schutt

    I always knew Picasso was an exhibitionist…

    Reply
  3. Moira McLaughlin Avatar
    Moira McLaughlin

    Funny : )

    Reply
  4. manon doyle Avatar
    manon doyle

    I love all these photos! Lump and Jan cracked me up!

    Reply
  5. Carl F Rollberg Avatar
    Carl F Rollberg

    The Sculpture in Daley Center Plaza is from his favorite photo of his wife, Jacqueline Roque. I saw the photo on a photography show on channel 5, Chicago back in the 1980s

    Reply
  6. Red Avatar
    Red

    So where did the photo I saw many, many years ago of Picasso with a BLACK Afghan Hound, that the caption said the name of the dog was Kabul Khan???????
    The reason I remember this so clearly is that I had named my black Afghan, Khan and was surprised to find that I had named my dog so similarly.
    And all these years I carried this with me in my heart…

    Reply
  7. Moira McLaughlin Avatar
    Moira McLaughlin

    Hi Red – I will keep my a look out for Picassos black Afghan. I have not come across him. But Picasso always surprises. Regardless, it is strange and wonderful that you chose the same name for your Afghan. Great minds…
    Thanks for stopping by Dog Art Today. Email me if you find Picassos black Afghan in your search.
    Moira

    Reply
  8. Vin Font Avatar
    Vin Font

    I have owned 6 Afghans, and have fallen in love with a young female artist, who is very shy, very pretty, and very sweet, and I came looking for how her mind might work. To me she rivals the beauty of any of my Af’s though she has the personality of one very lightly coated desert type Af I owned, who was the sweetest creature I could imagine, like the girl is, and she is blond like the hound was. I had heard Picasso had owned an Af, but not 3. I have some ideas on how to win the girls heart.))

    Reply
  9. Caitlin Avatar
    Caitlin

    I am doing a research report on Pablo Picasso and I need a picture of Jaqueline. could I use one of these pictures if I include the bibliography?

    Reply
  10. Moira McLaughlin Avatar
    Moira McLaughlin

    Absolutely. But please make sure to note the resources I got them from. They are not original to my blog but I credit them within each post.
    Also, did you see this post with more photos…
    http://dreamdogsart.typepad.com/art/2008/07/picasso-lump-photos.html
    Another one here…
    http://dreamdogsart.typepad.com/art/2008/09/picasso-lump-the-art.html
    Good luck with your project.
    Moira McLaughlin
    Dog Art Today
    https://dogarttoday.com
    http://www.facebook.com/dogarttoday

    Reply

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