Painted and signed by Picasso: The story behind the DS 19!

Thomas Wachsmuth 7 April 2023 Citroën, Tuning classics

Reading time 4 Min.

On April 8th, exactly 50 years ago, the Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso died in Mougins, France. The genius of the century is said to have produced around 50.000 works during his lifetime. The artist not only limited himself to paintings, but also made drawings, graphics, collages, sculptures and ceramics. So it is not surprising that the original 1955 DS, the Goddess, also became a canvas for Picasso's art. The story behind the photo of the painted DS goes back to the 1950s. A young Mexican journalist named Mejido was living in France and, in the winter of 1958, was trying to secure a one-time exclusive: an interview with Pablo Picasso, the brilliant Spanish painter. Exiled from Franco's dictatorship, he was living on the Côte d'Azur at the time.

History of the DS 19 from 1958

In memory: Pablo Picasso, the genius of the century, died 50 years ago on April 8, 1973.
Artistic: New and avant-garde at the time, the DS 19 was hand-painted and signed by Picasso in 1958.

Knowing that Picasso was very reluctant to give interviews, the young and intrepid Mejido devised a ruse: he turned himself in at the door of La Californie, the painter's famous villa in Antibes, on behalf of the Centro Republicano Español de México " before. This organization helped people escape and took in countless Spanish exiles in the country. Pablo Picasso was a self-confessed supporter of the Spanish Republic and therefore agreed to do the interview.

"I never stopped dreaming or painting"

For his trip to the Côte d'Azur, Mejido had managed to borrow a brand-new blue DS 19, which he presented to some of Picasso's friends. He was surprised by the enthusiasm of his young visitor, who claimed to have been sent to France to interview him by Spaniards living in exile in Mexico.

During the interview, Picasso said goodbye for a few hours before returning to continue talking about politics and art. "I never stopped dreaming or painting," the painter then explained to the journalist, inviting him to follow him. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw "Las guirnaldas de la paz" ("The Garlands of Peace") painted on the side of DS 19. The work represented a family, flowers and a tree. In front of the amazed journalist, Picasso signed his work on one of the fenders.

taken next to the villa "La Californie".

The scene was photographed by one of those present and to this day Mejido keeps numerous photos of the DS, Picasso and the group of friends who were part of the unusual artistic and now historic event. Upon returning to Paris, Mejido bought the DS for $1.000 and immediately resold it to a Paris art gallery for $6.000. Since then, the track of the car has been lost and the journalist suspects that it must still be in the hands of a private collector today.

The DS images were sent to Josep Palau i Fabre, a friend of the painter and director of the Picasso Foundation in Barcelona, who confirmed the authenticity of the photos and painting. Even Rafael Inglada, Picasso's biographer, explained that the photo of the car was actually taken in the palm grove next to Villa "La Californie".

DS in 2023: Close connection to the world of arts

The historic DS was the inspiration and starting point for today's DS Automobiles brand. In its still young brand history, the Parisian premium brand lives the love of art. This is reflected today, among other things, in a partnership with the Louvre Museum and the close cooperation with artisans who work together with the DS designers in the DS Design Studio Paris on the artistic elements in the current series models DS 3, DS 4, DS 7 and to implement DS 9. Loving details and craftsmanship are central features of the models today.

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