Seated Woman
- Artist
- Pablo Picasso, Spanish, 1881–1973
- Date
- July 1953
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- Place made
- Vallauris, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Western Europe, France, Europe
- Classification
- Paintings
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 210
- Dimensions
- 51 1/2 x 37 7/8 in. (130.8 x 96.2 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift by exchange and funds given by Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pulitzer Jr.
- Rights
- © 2005 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, NY
- Object Number
- 196:1953
NOTES
Pablo Picasso monumentalizes the nude body of his lover, Françoise Gilot, in this painting. Forty years his junior, she dominated the female imagery in his art in the decade following their meeting in 1943. The artist represents many aspects of her body, showing her face from different angles and her buttocks alongside a frontal view. Picasso’s fragmentation of forms highlights the continuing legacy of Cubism while his Surrealist-informed interest in erotic themes is evident in the powerful, sexual assertiveness of Gilot’s expression and stance.
Provenance
1953
Daniel Henry Kahnweiler (1884-1979), Paris, France [1]
1953
Curt Valentin Gallery, Inc., New York, NY, USA
1953 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Curt Valentin Gallery, Inc. [2]
Notes:
[1] Daniel Henry Kahnweiler and Curt Valentin Gallery are listed in the provenance for this painting in the Museum's original accession record. Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler was a German art dealer who ran a gallery in Paris. He was a supporter of cubism and developed a relationship with Picasso, as well as with Braque and Vlaminck ["Daniel H. Kahnweiler," The National Gallery of Art, accessed November 21, 2005,].
[2] At the request of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pulitzer Jr., who wanted to present a painting by Picasso to the Museum, this painting was purchased by the Museum from Curt Valentin Gallery, Inc. [statement from Curt Valentin Gallery, Inc. to the Museum dated December 17, 1953, SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, December 3, 1953.
Daniel Henry Kahnweiler (1884-1979), Paris, France [1]
1953
Curt Valentin Gallery, Inc., New York, NY, USA
1953 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Curt Valentin Gallery, Inc. [2]
Notes:
[1] Daniel Henry Kahnweiler and Curt Valentin Gallery are listed in the provenance for this painting in the Museum's original accession record. Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler was a German art dealer who ran a gallery in Paris. He was a supporter of cubism and developed a relationship with Picasso, as well as with Braque and Vlaminck ["Daniel H. Kahnweiler," The National Gallery of Art, accessed November 21, 2005,
[2] At the request of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pulitzer Jr., who wanted to present a painting by Picasso to the Museum, this painting was purchased by the Museum from Curt Valentin Gallery, Inc. [statement from Curt Valentin Gallery, Inc. to the Museum dated December 17, 1953, SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, December 3, 1953.