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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Jamais: Óscar Domínguez & Pablo Picasso

July 15 – Nov 8, 2020
Carrer Montcada, 15-23, 08003 Barcelona, Spain

Never say never. Everyone thought it was long lost, but the Surrealist erotic object called Jamais, French for “never,” has resurfaced. Jamais was created by the Spanish painter Óscar Domínguez. It is a Pathé horn phonograph that is swallowing a high-heeled woman whole and transforming her into a self-caressing machine; the entire piece is painted white. It turns out that Domínguez gave Jamais to his friend Pablo Picasso in 1945. Thanks to a photo essay found in Picasso’s Paris studio, Jamais, which caused a sensation at the Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme in 1938, has been tracked down and is on display at the Museu Picasso. A very important find! —J.V.