The artwork titled “Barcelona,” created by artist Francis Picabia, dates from circa 1927 to circa 1928. This piece is executed in gouache on paper and belongs to the Surrealism movement, specifically to Picabia’s “Transparencies” series. The portrait’s dimensions are 87 by 75.5 centimeters. Currently, the artwork is housed within a private collection.
The composition of “Barcelona” showcases Picabia’s distinctive layering technique characteristic of his “Transparencies” series, where multiple figures and forms are overlaid to create a complex interplay of shapes and meaning. The use of gouache allows for vibrant colors and a rich texture that contribute to the dream-like quality emblematic of Surrealist works. The portrait genre is stretched to its conceptual limits by the introduction of abstracted, multiple forms rather than a conventional, single subject. The choice of the title “Barcelona” may imply a reference to the city’s cultural richness or could be representative of the fragmented, multifaceted identity often explored in Surrealist art.