194 - After PABLO PICASSO (1881–1973).

After PABLO PICASSO (1881–1973). “Les portraits imaginaires.” Color lithograph on paper, based on a painting on cardboard by Pablo Picasso. Signed and dated on the plate, and numbered “F183/250” in pencil. Measurements: 50 x 66 cm; 70 x 86 cm (frame). The series *Les Portraits imaginaires* brings together twenty-nine compositions conceived by Picasso in the late 1960s, characterized by the depiction of imaginary figures through a highly expressive style, bold outlines, and vivid hallmarks of color. As the co-founder of Cubism alongside Braque, Picasso’s painting marked a turning point in the history of art. He began his studies in 1895 at the Provincial School of Fine Arts in Barcelona, and just two years later held his first solo exhibition at the café “Els Quatre Gats.” After several short stays in Paris, Picasso settled permanently in the French capital in 1904. Following his Blue and Rose periods, which took place in the early years of the century, the painter began his experiments with geometric forms in 1906, during a stay in Lleida. A year later, he began painting “The Young Ladies of Avinyó Street,” and in 1909 he met Braque, marking the beginning of his Cubist period. During the 1920s, he developed his classical style and created his famous set designs for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. In 1936, he was appointed director of the Prado Museum by the government of the Spanish Republic, and a year later he painted “Guernica.” Definitive international recognition came in 1939, following the retrospective dedicated to him by the MoMA in New York. Over the following decades, retrospective exhibitions were held in his honor around the world, in Rome, Milan, Paris, Cologne, and New York, among many other cities. His works are represented in the world’s most important museums, such as the Metropolitan, MoMA, and the Guggenheim in New York; the Hermitage in St. Petersburg; the National Gallery in London; and the Reina Sofía in Madrid.