Pablo Picasso

Spanish, 1881-1973

Woman's Head

© Succession Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

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© Succession Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

Woman's Head, 1909

Artwork Details

Currently on View

Materials

bronze

Measurements

overall: 16 1/4 x 10 3/8 x 10 3/4 inches (41.27 x 26.35 x 27.3 cm)

Collection Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Credit

Edmund Hayes Fund, 1948

Accession ID

1948:1

Woman’s Head was made not long after Pablo Picasso spent the summer in Spain, where he painted numerous portraits of his companion Fernande Olivier (French, 1881–1966). At this time, the artist was already interested in the nonrepresentational shapes that would become central to Cubism, and the influence of African sculpture can be seen in this work. Its jutting and receding planes not only create volume but also suggest multiple points of view; yet, the sculpture maintains the basic shape of a human head, which is Fernande’s.

Label from Picasso: The Artist and His Models, November 5, 2016–February 19, 2017

Other Works by This Artist