Pablo Picasso's painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon of 1907 is often used in the discipline of African art history to represent and debate the influence of African art in the development of European twentieth century modern art movements. It is used to analyze the aesthetics of Primitivism inspired by the arts of Africa and Oceania and to examine the complex historical relationship between Europe and Africa during the period marked by colonialism. But how much do we actually know about the painting in question and how much is shrouded by myths derived from the artwork's iconic status within the European art canon? While there exists a large body of literature surrounding the artwork, the predominant historical narrative has not fully acknowledged the importance of African art in Picasso's work, and there still remain many unanswered questions linked to what the painting represents and what sources were used by the artist.

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