Pablo Picasso Twice-Signed Sketch - Bull in Profile (1962)

Picasso’s iconic bull, boldly drawn and twice signed at Notre-Dame-de-Vie in Mougins

Magnificent twice-signed large ballpoint sketch of a bull in profile, accomplished by Pablo Picasso on an off-white 9.5 x 11.25 guest book page, signed and dated at the top, “Picasso, le 11.8.62,” and signed again below, “Picasso—Notre Dame de Vie, Mougins, A.M.” The boldly executed drawing presents the animal in Picasso’s unmistakably economical late style, reducing the bull to swift, fluid lines: sweeping horns, a forceful head and muzzle, and a loose, sinuous body form. The reverse bears several unknown guest book signatures. In very good to fine condition, with uniform fading, light overall creasing, and a small repaired tear to the upper right corner tip. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the Comité Picasso.

Dating to August 11, 1962, the sketch was drawn at Notre-Dame-de-Vie, Picasso’s final residence in Mougins in the Alpes-Maritimes, where he spent the last twelve years of his life in extraordinary creative production. The bull was one of Picasso’s most enduring and personal motifs—at once a symbol of Spain, virility, spectacle, sacrifice, and artistic force—and it recurred throughout his career in drawings, prints, ceramics, and his celebrated bullfight imagery. This large, freely handled example is especially desirable for its direct connection to Picasso’s Mougins years and its scarce double signature, with the artist both dating the drawing and locating it at his storied final home.