Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, who was a pioneering historian of Cubism as well as its preeminent dealer, wrote that in the summer of 1910, Picasso "pierced the closed form." In doing so, he made "the decisive advance which set [C]ubism free from the language previously used by painting." As seen in this ink drawing, space flows freely through the mass of the figure, producing a scaffolding of planes. Without the title, there is little to suggest the subject matter, let alone the gender of the figure, which was likely rendered without a model. Only the vertical orientation and varying combinations of curved and diagonal lines prompt us to visualize the head, breasts, shoulder blades, and limbs.
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Inscription: Signed (lower right, in graphite): Picasso [underlined]
Marking: watermark: A [scraped into or watermark enhanced in paper]
[Galerie Alexandre Iolas, Paris]; William H. Alexander, New York (by 1962–82; sold in September 1982 to Pace); [Pace Gallery (Pace Hoffeld Inc.), New York, 1982; inv. no. 10616, as "Woman with Wine Glass"; sold in December 1982 to Lauder]; Leonard A. Lauder, New York (1982–13; transferred on April 8, 2013 to the Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Trust); The Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Trust, New York (2013–16; gift to MMA)
Williamstown, Mass. Lawrence Hall, Williams College. "An Exhibition of Works of Art Lent by the Alumni of Williams College," May 5–June 16, 1962, no. 97 (as "Nude," 1911, lent by William H. Alexander).
New York. Hirschl & Adler Galleries. "Second Williams College Alumni Loan Exhibition: In Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Williams College Museum of Art and Professor S. Lane Faison, Jr.," April 1–24, 1976, no. 66 (as "Woman with Wine Glass," 1911).
Williamstown, Mass. Williams College Museum of Art. "Second Williams College Alumni Loan Exhibition: In Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Williams College Museum of Art and Professor S. Lane Faison, Jr.," May 9–June 13, 1976, no. 66.
New York. Museum of Modern Art. "Picasso and Braque: Pioneering Cubism," September 24, 1989–January 16, 1990, unnumbered cat. (p. 172; as "Standing Nude," [Paris, autumn 1910]).
Washington, D.C. National Gallery of Art. "Picasso's Drawings, 1890–1921: Reinventing Tradition," January 29–May 6, 2012, no. 45.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Cubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection," October 20, 2014–February 16, 2015, no. 62.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Picasso: A Cubist Commission in Brooklyn," September 14, 2023–January 14, 2024, unnumbered cat. (pl. 4).
An Exhibition of Works of Art Lent by the Alumni of Williams College. Exh. cat., Lawrence Hall, Williams College. Williamstown, Mass., 1962, p. 37, no. 97.
Second Williams College Alumni Loan Exhibition: In Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Williams College Museum of Art and Professor S. Lane Faison, Jr. Exh. cat., Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York. Williamstown, Mass., 1976, p. 23, no. 66, ill. p. 64.
William Rubin, ed. Picasso and Braque: Pioneering Cubism. Exh. cat., Museum of Modern Art. New York, 1989, ill. p. 172 (German ed., 1990, p. 329, revised dating as [Paris, late spring 1910], fig. 140; French ed., 1990, and Spanish ed., 1991, p. 328, revised dating as [Paris, late spring 1910], ill. p. 166).
Pepe Karmel. "Appendix 2: Notes on the Dating of Works." Picasso and Braque: A Symposium. Ed. Lynn Zelevansky. New York, 1992, p. 336, as [Cadaqués or Paris, summer–autumn 1910].
Joseph Low (Pepe) Karmel. "Picasso's Laboratory: The Role of his Drawings in the Development of Cubism, 1910–14." PhD diss., Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, 1993, pp. 54–55, 62, fig. 38, ill., as "Standing Nude".
Susan Grace Galassi in Susan Grace Galassi and Marilyn McCully with Joanna Sheers Seidenstein and Katie Steiner. Picasso's Drawings, 1890–1921: Reinventing Tradition. Exh. cat., Frick Collection. New York, 2011, pp. 17–18, 188, no. 45, ill. p. 189 (indexed erroneously as cited on p. 40).
"Objects Promised to the Museum during the Year 2012–2013." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, One Hundred Forty-third Annual Report of the Trustees for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2013 (2013), p. 47.
Emily Braun inCubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection. Ed. Emily Braun and Rebecca Rabinow. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2014, p. 150, no. 62, ill. p. 151 (color).
Anna Jozefacka and Luise Mahler inCubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection. Ed. Emily Braun and Rebecca Rabinow. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2014, p. 285, fig. 62 (installation photo, Exh. New York 1989–90).
Max Hollein in Anna Jozefacka with Lauren Rosati. Picasso: A Cubist Commission in Brooklyn. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2023, p. 7.
Anna Jozefacka in Anna Jozefacka with Lauren Rosati. Picasso: A Cubist Commission in Brooklyn. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2023, p. 33, colorpl. 4.
Written on the verso (left edge, in pencil): x; (vertically along upper-left edge, in pencil): [illegible] á enlever / au con [partially illegible]; (upper-left corner, in pencil): [illegible markings]
Professor of Art History Christopher Green discusses Picasso’s foray into Cubism before his invention of collage primarily through his figure drawings.
Pablo Picasso (Spanish, Malaga 1881–1973 Mougins, France)
1921
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