Image: Image reproduction rights managed by Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; institutional source link provided
View source →Pablo Picasso, published 1931
Medium
Text and cover with 67 wood engravings, bound with black tooled leather spine gilded with the title, artist and date, and corners over canvas-covered boards embellished with an impression of the cover wood engraving in gold. 12 etchings hors-texte stored separately.
Dimensions
33 × 24.5 cm (13 × 9 11/16 in.)
Style
Surrealist-influenced modernism
Decade
1930s
The official Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois record identifies Le Chef d'oeuvre inconnu as a Pablo Picasso book, dated published 1931, in Text and cover with 67 wood engravings, bound with black tooled leather spine gilded with the title, artist and date, and corners over canvas-covered boards embellished with an impression of the cover wood engraving in gold. 12 etchings hors-texte stored separately.. This catalog entry preserves the holding institution’s title and object metadata rather than inferring undocumented imagery, sitter identity, or artist intent.
Le Chef d'oeuvre inconnu is grouped under Surrealist Period for gallery navigation using the date published by Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. This period label provides high-level art-historical orientation and does not supersede the primary collection record. The institutional credit line is: Gift of the Print and Drawing Club.
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Public Collection — Open to visitors
Visit museum website →2026 Estimated Value
Public collection / market value not asserted
* 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
Continue Exploring
Chosen for shared style, era, medium, subject, or date.
Illustrated book, ¦Metamorphoses¦ by Ovid, with additional suite of 30 etchings with remarques
1931 · same style · same era
Minotauromachia
March 23–May 3, 1935 · same style · same era
Bacchic Scene with Minotaur, from the Vollard Suite
May 18, 1933, printed and published 1939 · same style · same era
Le Chef-d'oeuvre inconnu (The Unknown Masterpiece)
published 1931, reworked late 1950s · same style · same era
Reading
1925–26 · same style · same era
Faun Uncovering a Sleeping Woman (Jupiter and Antiope, after Rembrandt), from the Vollard Suite
June 12, 1936, printed and published 1939 · same style · same era
If you love this surrealist period masterpiece, explore these curated books and resources on Amazon.
Picasso: A Biography by John Richardson
Comprehensive biography exploring Picasso's life and artistic evolution
The Weeping Woman Art Print
Striking Surrealist portrait from Picasso's emotional period
Picasso: A Life Documentary
Comprehensive documentary chronicling Picasso's entire artistic journey
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Each product link is unique to help us track which recommendations resonate most with our visitors.