Le Dindon (The Turkey) 1941 - 1942

“Le Dindon,” or “The Turkey” is an ink drawing made by Pablo Picasso. It’s tempting to ask, why a turkey? Well, Picasso, a Spaniard living in France, may have seen in this fowl a potent symbol of both countries' complex national identities. In France, the turkey is a cornerstone of celebratory meals, steeped in tradition. Across the Pyrenees, in Spain, the turkey carries echoes of the exotic "Indies" with its association with the Americas. Here the turkey, rendered in Picasso’s singular Cubist style, becomes a powerful marker of cultural identity, migration, and assimilation. It’s as though Picasso invites us to ponder the strange and often humorous ways in which we define ourselves and others, urging us to embrace the unexpected and to see the world, and each other, with fresh eyes.