In this series, Index asks our colleagues “What is your favorite work of art in our collections and why?” This is a tall order, given that we have about 250,000 works in our collections. At a recent weekly coffee hour, our intrepid reporters posed the challenging question to unsuspecting staff. Click here to see other responses in this series.

Jason Koczela, Information Systems Specialist II

“You know, I was a guard for three-and-a-half years, so I was in all the galleries and knew all the stuff. I would have to say Picasso’s Mother and Child.”

Why that object?

“I think it’s an original. I think it’s well done. I like how the mother is showing pure love, and the child has a very selfish face. Almost like a cat: ‘I expect to be petted now. I want to be fed now. I want to be loved now.’”