Pablo Picasso Portrait de Mlle D.M. (Dora Maar), c. 1960; When Dora Maar met Pablo Picasso she was 28 years old, younger than the established painter by over two decades. They met through a shared interest in the surrealist movement; the stunning muse was a painter and photographer, herself. Having been introduced for the first time in 1936, this would be one of his earliest portraits of Dora, before the infamous and more extreme representations of her seen in his later work.

Despite the gap in age, this stunning work captures the profound connection between Picasso and Dora Maar. In stylistic terms this piece is referential the Blue Period, but through a cubist gaze. Almost monochromatic, the cool and austere coloration evokes a solemn and introspective tone. Through truncation and exaggeration, Dora’s piercing eyes are emphasized, expressing this somber portrait’s depth of character and inner beauty.

Created c. 1960, this offset lithograph on Arches paper is hand-signed by Pablo Picasso (Malaga, 1881 - Mougins, 1973) in pencil in the lower right margin and also signed in the stone in the upper right.  Numbered from the edition of 350 in pencil in the lower left this work is published by Guy Spitzer. This work is based on an original painting of the same title from 1937. The original oil painting belonged to Madame Cuttoli’s private collection, Paris.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

Pablo Picasso Portrait de Mlle D.M. (Dora Maar), c. 1960 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work).

1. The Picasso Project. Picasso's Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings & Sculpture: Surrealism, 1930-1936. San Francisco: Alan Wofsy Fine Arts, 1997. The original oil painting is listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 36.090.
2. Spitzer, Guy. Guy Spitzer: Éditeur d’Art – Reproductions de Tableaux de Maîtres. Paris: Éditions Guy Spitzer. Listed and illustrated on pg. 19.
3. Zervos, Christian. Pablo Picasso: Catalogue de l'Œuvre. 33 Volumes. Paris: Cahiers d'Arts, 1932-1978. Original oil listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. Z. 302. (Copy from Zervos not included with purchase)

About the Framing:

Pablo Picasso Portrait de Mlle D.M. (Dora Maar), c. 1960 is framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.