Dog Art Today

Tag: david douglas duncan

  • Picasso’s Other Dogs: The Afghans and The Boxer

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    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.

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

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    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.

  • Picasso & Lump Photos

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    Lump isolates his target: lunch.

    Recently while searching for some photos of Picasso and his Dachshund, Lump, I discovered the blog Habitually Chic written by a “stylish young woman living in New York City and working for a top interior designer.”  Well, I got a case of blog envy.  Or post envy.  This stylish young woman had the best collection of Picasso and Lump photos I had seen so far.  So with a nod to her and a high recommendation to stop by her lovely blog, I am borrowing them for mine today.

    Look closely and watch the classic Doxie technique for getting what one wants…

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    Lump makes his needs known with big brown eyes and perhaps a paw to the knee.   See him pouring on the charm just below Picasso’s left elbow (click on image to see larger size).

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    Target acquired.  Leftovers neutralized!

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    Bestow kisses as if this is the best thing that has ever happened in the history of the world. Ignore the horrified expression of master’s wife (Jacquelin Roque).

    All photos are by David Douglas Duncan, Lump’s original owner.  Read about the Dachshund who stole Picasso’s heart in Duncan’s book Picasso & Lump: A Dachshund’s Odyssey available here.

    BTW, “lump” is German for “rascal.”

  • Picasso & Lump

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    I’ve never seen this amazing (though a bit blurry) photo before of Picasso and his beloved Dachshund, Lump.  He’s said to be "the only dog Picasso took in his arms."  So cool.

    Via The Long and Short of it All, a terrific blog for all things Dachshund.

    Read more about Lump and his adventures with Picasso in David Douglas Duncan’s book Picasso & Lump: A Dachshund’s Odyssey.

  • Picasso & Lump

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    In 1957, renowned war photographer, David Douglas Duncan, took his camera and his Dachshund, Lump (Rascal in German), to shoot his favorite new subject, Pablo Picasso. Upon arrival at Picasso’s Villa Californie, Lump made himself at home and stayed for six years. There, he sat beside the famously private artist as he worked, found his way into 44 paintings, and became “the only dog Picasso took in his arms.” Relish Lump’s fabulous life in Duncan’s wonderful book
    Picasso & Lump: A Dachshund’s Odyssey