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Picasso's Erotic 'Figures at the Seaside' Analyzed by Catherine Millet

opinion-review · 2026-04-24

In the latest episode of 'Le chef-d'œuvre du moment,' Catherine Millet delves into Pablo Picasso's 1931 artwork 'Figures au bord de la mer,' which he created on January 12, 1931, in Paris. This piece is featured in the exhibition 'Picasso, Baigneuses et Baigneurs' at the Musée des beaux-arts de Lyon, which ended earlier than planned, having been set to run until January 3, 2021. Millet characterizes it as one of Picasso's most sensual works, showcasing fragmented figures in an embrace. Created during Picasso's sculptural phase at Château de Boisgeloup, the exhibition also displays bronzes from 1931. Millet links the painting to Jacques Lacan's notion of the 'fragmented body' and posits that it symbolizes Picasso's wish to openly acknowledge his relationship with Marie-Thérèse Walter. The oil on canvas measures 130 x 195 cm and is part of the Musée Picasso collection in Paris.

Key facts

  • Painting: 'Figures au bord de la mer' by Pablo Picasso, dated January 12, 1931, Paris.
  • Exhibition: 'Picasso, Baigneuses et Baigneurs' at Musée des beaux-arts de Lyon, closed early, originally until January 3, 2021.
  • Catherine Millet wrote the analysis for artpress.
  • Picasso converted stables at Château de Boisgeloup into a sculpture studio around this time.
  • Picasso expressed a passion for bones as 'modeled and not carved.'
  • The exhibition includes 1931 bronzes of bathers showing finger impressions.
  • Drawings six months later depict a more disjointed solitary bather.
  • Millet links the painting to Lacan's 'corps morcelé' (fragmented body).
  • In 1931, Picasso hid Marie-Thérèse Walter near his family with Olga and Paulo.
  • The painting is oil on canvas, 130 x 195 cm, at Musée Picasso, Paris.

Entities

Artists

  • Pablo Picasso
  • Catherine Millet
  • Marie-Thérèse Walter
  • Olga Khokhlova
  • Paulo Picasso
  • Jacques Lacan

Institutions

  • Musée des beaux-arts de Lyon
  • Musée Picasso Paris
  • Château de Boisgeloup
  • artpress

Locations

  • Paris
  • Lyon
  • France
  • Boisgeloup

Sources