Night Fishing at Antibes

Musée Picasso is located at the Chateau Grimaldi in Antibes overlooking the Mediterranean. The museum has some spectacular views of the sea from its outdoor sculpture garden, which contains works by Picasso and others.

Picasso had stayed at the chateau for a couple of very productive months in 1946 and had visited and stayed in Antibes on other occasions.  My favorite work in this modest-sized collection is a remarkable tapestry of the painting "Night Fishing at Antibes".   Picasso had done the oil painting that is the subject of the tapestry in 1939 shortly before the outbreak of World War II.  The oil painting itself is at MOMA in New York (and I now understand the museum shop salesperson's confusing answer to my question as to where I could get a print of the tapestry).  Unfortunately, according to the MOMA website, the work is "not on view" at the present.  Copies are widely available on the web - here's one of them. 



(Note: this artwork may be protected by copyright. It is posted on the site in accordance with fair use principles.)

Picasso was inspired to paint this dream-like scene after observing fisherman in Antibes using acetylene lamps at night to lure fish.  The central figure is a large-headed man spear-fishing off the coast of Antibes.  Two young women to the right of the painting - one on a bicycle enjoying an ice cream -  are watching the action while another fisherman is peering over the side of the boat into the water trying, unsuccessfully it seems, to catch a fish with a line attached to his foot.  The large areas of black contrast with the brighter highlighted fishing scene.

The scale of the painting (nearly 7 ft high and more than 11 ft long) has suggested to some that this is more than just an idyllic beach tableau from an August night in 1939.  The interspersion of black throughout the scene, the almost ritualistic killing of the fish and the strange moon (?) that may or may not be an ancient symbol of death have suggested to some that the painting reflects the rising political tensions just prior to the outbreak of World War II or perhaps the outcome of the Spanish Civil War.  If so, Night  Fishing at Antibes is nowhere near as directly stated as his more famous Guernica, which was painted two years earlier during the Spanish Civil War. 

Perhaps Night Fishing is just an idyllic summer beach scene.  Or perhaps it is one with a foreboding that this enjoyable personal time will not last.  One of the great things about modern art is that it is so open to personal interpretation.  In any case, I am eagerly awaiting MOMA to put this great work of art on view again and I hope that you can get to see it too someday.


UPDATE:  February, 2015 - "Night Fishing at Antibes" is now on view at MOMA.  See comments below.


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