Skeleton for UNESCO

A crowd of 300 journalists, art lovers and notables waited in a school courtyard in the small French Riviera town of Vallauris. The master, as usual unimpressed by ceremony, arrived dressed in faded corduroy pants, yellow shirt and bright orange scarf. Pablo Picasso bussed his good friend, Communist Boss Maurice Thorez, on both cheeks, then shook hands with Director of French Museums Georges Salles, down from Paris for the occasion --the unveiling of Picasso's much heralded 32-by-29-ft. mural for UNESCO's new Paris headquarters. Picasso yanked the cord, pulling back the concealing curtain. The result was a surprise to Picasso as well as the spectators. Picasso had painted the mural on 40 separate wood panels in his studio. Seeing the panels assembled for the first time, he stared intently, then exclaimed: "It's quite good--better than I thought."

It was difficult to believe that this time Picasso had tried very hard. To help reporters puzzle out the meaning of the big, empty mural, Director Salles explained, "The painting represents the victory of forces of light and peace over those of evil and death. The skeleton-like figure [center] with black wings is falling through an infinity of blue, like the fall of Icarus, while a female form [left] rises majestically, white and radiant. On the right side of the painting, the three brown figures in repose are the motionless spectators of the drama; they symbolize humanity at peace, contemplating the fulfillment of its destiny."

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