Pablo Picasso Wearing a Rolex GMT-Master

By the 1960s, both Rolex and Pablo Picasso were known around the world. Picasso for his achievements in art, including but not limited to masterpieces like La Guernica and Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, as well as his influence over the cubist movement in the early 20th century. In the same time period, visionary Hans Wilsdorf brought the Rolex brand to the forefront of innovation and wristwatch design. 

Pablo Picasso Wearing a Rolex GMT-Master and Native American War Bonnet it the 1960s (photo: Rolex)

He is photographed above wearing a Rolex GMT-Master and a Native American war bonnet in the 1960s. By this time, Picasso has already gone through many artistic periods, from the blue period that produced works like his Blue Nude to the cubist movement that would eventually influence perhaps his most important work, La Guernica, which shed light on the bombing of the the Basque country village during the Spanish Civil War.

Many don't associate Picasso with sculpture, however, he dedicated time to producing sculptures later in his life, including the 'Chicago Picasso' as it is now known. Shown below, the towering sculpture was designed by Picasso in 1965 and built by the US Bridge Company, a division of the US Steel Corporation, for its dedication in 1967.

Picasso was offered $100,000 for the commission, which he donated to the people of Chicago. The abstract cubist sculpture was met with some resistance by some Chicagoans, who compared it to a large insect. Others, including Picasso's grandson, posit that Frenchwoman Sylvette David served as inspiration for this piece.

'Chicago Picasso' Sculpture by Pablo Picasso Dedicated to the People of Chicago in 1967 (source: J. Crocker)

While we may never know what the Chicago Picasso represents, we can appreciate it as a monolith of modern art and a tribute to early 20th century design and ingenuity. It also serves as the perfect foil for the symmetry and adherence to classical design represented by Rolex wristwatches.

>>BACK TO TIMELINE