Picasso’s Progeny: Masterpieces, MoMA, and American Modernism
Harvard Extension School
HARC E-204
Section 1
CRN 26990
Spanish-born artist Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) enlarged the scope and transformed the character of every medium he addressed during his long professional career. Studies continue on how and why he continues to be regarded as the single most important artist of the twentieth century, with deepening understanding of the complex texture and breadth of his achievement. This course focuses on specific examples of his groundbreaking progeny—works of art that endure as inspiring, innovative statements—and the continuing attention they attract. These include paintings like Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907), Three Musicians (1925), Guernica (1937), and The Joy of Life (1946), but also more personal works like Family of Saltimbanques (1905), Portrait of Gertrude Stein (1906), Man and Sheep (1943), and The Bull (1946). Painting was Picasso's most sustained medium and acts as our dominant focus, but sculpture and printmaking also yielded major masterpieces, as even this short list shows. Considered also are ways Picasso extended his reach beyond the studio, from involving his art in contemporary politics as well as theater and music, to encouraging interest among modernist groups beyond France. We look at American artists inspired by his work, such as Stuart Davis, Roy Lichtenstein, and Jasper Johns, as well as the important part played by the young Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.
Registration Closes: January 22, 2026
Credits: 4
View Tuition Information Term
Spring Term 2026
Part of Term
Full Term
Format
Live Attendance Web Conference
Credit Status
Graduate, Noncredit, Undergraduate
Section Status
Open