Guitar (Sheet Metal and Wire)
Pablo Picasso, 1914
Technical Details
Medium
Sheet metal and wire
Dimensions
77.5 × 35 × 19.3 cm
Style
Synthetic Cubism / Assemblage
Decade
1910s
About This Work
Guitar is one of the most radical sculptures in the history of art — a three-dimensional construction made from cut and folded sheet metal and wire that represents a guitar not by modeling its form but by cutting it out of space. The sound hole becomes a protruding cylinder; the body of the guitar is suggested by flat planes. The work demolishes the traditional distinction between sculpture and drawing, between solid and void.
Picasso had been working on cardboard maquettes of the guitar since 1912; this metal version was made in 1914. The work was revolutionary in its implications — it suggested that sculpture could be constructed rather than carved or modeled, opening the door to the assembled sculptures of the 20th century. MoMA acquired it in 1971.
Current Location
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA
Public Collection — Open to visitors
Visit museum website →Valuation & Provenance
2026 Estimated Value
Not for sale (permanent collection)
* Estimates are based on comparable auction results and market analysis. Not a formal appraisal.
Last Known Sale
No public auction record — held in permanent museum collection
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