552 - Pablo Picasso (1881 Málaga – Mougins near Cannes 1973)

Pablo Picasso (1881 Málaga – Mougins near Cannes 1973) Femme au fauteuil No. 1 Lithograph on Arches vellum. (1948). Approx. 69.5 x 54.5 cm (sheet size approx. 76.5 x 55.5 cm). One of only 5 proof copies of the 4th state from December 17, 1948, prior to the reprint. Very rare. Published by Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris. Mourlot 134 IV (of VI); Rau 379. • Early revision stage from Picasso’s intensive experimental exploration of lithography at the Mourlot studio • The portrait of Françoise Gilot was created on a zinc plate originally intended for red-line printing • This rare proof documents an early phase in the ongoing evolution of the motif, before Picasso further developed the composition through overprinting The lithograph is one of the early stages of revision on a zinc plate originally intended for red-line printing, with which Picasso continued his intensive work on the portrait of Françoise Gilot in December 1948. Through repeated drawing, scraping, and reworking of the plate, he gradually altered the composition and experimented with the interplay of line, plane, and light-dark contrasts. This early proof print documents an important starting point in this experimental process, from which numerous different versions emerged. Provenance: Private collection, USA. Taxation: subject to regular taxation (VAT: Regular Taxation).