P#64  The Spanish patient : from self portrait to mortuary mask

Dominique Van Neste. Skinterface, Tournai, Belgium

The author was interested by the series of auto-portraits made by the famous painter Pablo Picasso (born October 25, 1881). In 1901, the patient aged 20 years represented himself with a full head of hair and a heavy beard indicating significant skin response to circulating androgens. In 1902 the artist shows himself with a shaved beard and he will keep shaving the face forever. At the age of 25, the frontal or anterior scalp hair line shows incipient androgenetic alopecia also known as androgenetic alopecia or male pattern baldness- grade II according to the Norwood-Hamilton-Dawber-Van Neste classification. Later in life the balding progressed evolving to grade VI of this classification. On the contemporary auto-portrait however, the artist himself added extra-hair on the top of the head. This resulted in red hair expanding into a voluminous mass of hair combed back on to the right shoulder (1972 i.e. 1 year before death on April 8, 1973 aged 92). This eventually reflects disturbed self perception or lack of satisfaction with self appearance. By looking further and in greater detail, enlightenment comes through the eyes. Indeed, the left eye shows the same red hue as the hair. This demonstrates that the facial view is a representation of a mortuary mask rather than an auto-portrait. In conclusion, the follow-up of the development of androgenetic alopecia over time is documented in a series of auto-portraits and mortuary mask painted by Pablo Picasso. The sequence reflects global perception by oneself of scalp hair insofar as one allows room for symbolic interpretation and fantasy according to the period, style and talent of the artist even when he projects himself in the after-life !