Pablo Ruiz with Itch

Robert Arneson’s ceramic sculpture both parodies and pays homage to Pablo Ruiz y Picasso. Picasso signed his early work with his father’s surname, Ruiz. Later, he used his mother’s maiden name, Picasso. Arneson places his bust of Picasso on a classical column, signaling the master’s place of honor in the history of art. The bust unites elements borrowed from three works by Picasso: a 1903 sketch in which Picasso depicted himself as a mischievous monkey, scratching himself; a 1907 Self-Portrait of a youthful Picasso with thick black hair; and the two central figures in his most famous painting, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907), with their upraised and awkwardly bent arms.