Pablo Picasso Madame Ricardo Canals; A beautiful expression of Picasso's admiration and ardor for Mrs. Canals, this work melds a classical treatment of the face and skin with an impressionist interpretation of sumptuous garments. Inspired by an earlier work from 1905 with similar title, this stunning portrait is both beautiful and haunting. There is such a great sense of intimacy between Picasso the artist, and Madame Canals the sitter, that we become instantly bewitched by her stunning beauty and their torrid relationship.

Published in 1966 by the Museo Picasso in Barcelona and printed by Foto-Repro of Barcelona. (Another 20,000 copies created for the Picasso Museum in Barcelona exist with the exhibition text/lettering printed across the page.) Lettered HC in pencil in the lower left, this work is printed on Arches watermarked wove paper. This work contains a guaranteed authentic signature by Picasso in pencil in the lower right.

As we subject ourselves to the bewitching power of the achingly beautiful Madame Canals, we find ourselves decanting a torrent of empathy for Picasso, who coveted this woman, his best friend's wife. What was initially a glance by the viewer has become a stare. Hypnotized by her unworldly beauty, we are trapped, shamefully unable to avert our gaze. Madame Canal seems to enjoy this game, and her haughty contemplation lets us know that she too is sizing us up while we ogle her porcelain white skin and lustrous garments that suit her as do jewels a queen. Painted during a period of transition between Picasso's Blue and Rose Periods, this work is according to Gaya Nuño, "one of the most haughty and seductive female portraits in the history of painting, and one in which the condition of woman is elevated without recurring to lavish adornments."

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
Pablo Picasso Madame Ricardo Canals is fully documented and referenced in (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that I will accompany the final sale of the work) :

1) Czwiklitzer, Christopher, Picasso's Posters, Random House, 1970. Listed as plate 232 on page 341.

2) Rodrigo Luis Carlos, Picasso in his Posters, Arte Ediciones, Volume I, 1992. Listed on page 328 as plate 150.

3) Rodrigo Luis Carlos, Picasso in his Posters, Arte Ediciones, Volume III, 1992. Listed on page 1784 as plate 150.

About the Framing:
A sumptuous gold and bronze moulding with vegetal motif houses the portrait of Madame Canals. Exquisite gold foliage is robust and delicate, providing the perfect complement to the rich tones within the work. Completed with white, linen-wrapped mats and a matching gold inner fillet, Pablo Picasso Madame Ricardo Canals is set behind an archival Plexiglas cover.