Dora Maar

Exhibited by Galerie Boquet

Material Pastel on paper

Dimensions 57.5 × 45 cm

Place of Creation Paris, France

Status Vetted

About the Work

Renowned for her significant work as a surrealist photographer, Dora Maar met Pablo Picasso in the winter of 1935–1936. Their relationship was not merely romantic; it sparked a rich artistic dialogue. She introduced Picasso to darkroom techniques, while she herself revisited painting and drawing—skills she had first learned at André Lhote’s academy in her youth.

This 1936 portrait of Pablo Picasso marks her return to these mediums, reflecting her absorption of her companion’s plastic language. With remarkable delicacy, this powerful portrait allowed Dora Maar to depict the man who had painted her hundreds of times during their relationship.

This work has been exhibited at the retrospective exhibition 'Dora Maar', held in Centre Pompidou, Paris (5 June - 29 July 2019) and Tate Modern, London (19 November 2019 - 15 March 2020).

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Provenance

- Private collection, France
- Jean Loize and Robert Michel (Paris)
- Private collection, France (acquired from the above, 1993)

Literature

- Dora Maar, exhibition catalogue, 2019, under the direction of Damarice Amao, Amanda Maddox, Karolina Ziebinska-Lewandowska, p. 203, ill. p. 149
- Marie-Laure de Noailles, peintre. Conversations, exhibition catalogue, 2024, ed. Villa Noailles, Hyères, under the direction of Johan Fleury de Witte, ill. p. 57