A Rare Picasso From 1954 Emerges in Miami: The Two Children Goes on View
- camilarosiaz
- Dec 19, 2025
- 2 min read
In 1954, during a period of personal upheaval, Pablo Picasso created a small but significant group of paintings portraying his youngest children, Claude and Paloma. Painted in Vallauris shortly after his separation from Françoise Gilot, the works reflect an intimate moment in the artist’s life, shaped by distance, reunion, and emotional transition. One of these paintings, The Two Children, dated May 14, 1954, is now being shown publicly after decades in private custody at the Gary Nader Art Centre in Miami.
Pablo Picasso, The two children on view (1954) at Gary Nader Art Centre.
The work is part of a series of six oil paintings, each measuring approximately 116 by 89 centimeters, in which Picasso explored childhood through simplified forms, flat color planes, and a restrained, almost contemplative visual language. Claude is frequently depicted in blue, engaged in drawing or play, while Paloma appears in green, rendered with a quieter, more reflective presence. Art historians have often linked the stylistic clarity of this series to the late cut-outs of Henri Matisse, completed shortly before his death in 1954.
The emotional context of the series is closely tied to Picasso’s reunion with his children in early 1954. Their visit to Vallauris followed the dissolution of his relationship with Gilot the year before and appears to have prompted a concentrated period of reflection on family, memory, and absence. Rather than focusing on innovation of form, the paintings revisit similar compositions as if to preserve a fleeting moment.
Gary Nader during the opening gala of the Picasso to Botero exhibition at Gary Nader Art Centre.
Among the six works, the best-known example is Claude dessinant, Françoise et Paloma, painted on May 17, 1954, which is held by the Musée Picasso–Paris. The Two Children, completed three days earlier, shares clear compositional and emotional parallels, suggesting Picasso was working through variations of the same intimate theme rather than producing a single definitive image.
Unlike many of Picasso’s works from the period, the paintings of Claude and Paloma were not immediately released into the market. Scholars including Kirk Varnedoe, Werner Spies, and Susan Galassi have described the series as a pivotal moment in Picasso’s late career, anticipating later explorations of domestic life and legacy, including his Las Meninas variations. The decision to retain these canvases privately underscores their personal significance, positioning them as reflections of Picasso’s identity as a father rather than as public statements.
The presentation of The Two Children in Miami offers rare access to a work that Picasso himself chose to protect from circulation. Its exhibition provides insight into a quieter, more introspective dimension of the artist’s practice —one centered on affection, vulnerability, and restraint.
A striking installation view of 'Picasso to Botero' at Gary Nader Art Centre, featuring rare portraits and the 1954 masterpiece The Two Children. The exhibition is on view through March 28, 2026.
The painting is currently on view at the Gary Nader Art Centre, offering audiences an opportunity to engage with a seldom-seen chapter of Picasso’s work and life.