Following the end of the Second World War and the liberation of Paris from Nazi control, Pablo Picasso turned his creative attention to the medium of lithography. The artist spent much of his time at the atelier of master-printer Fernand Mourlot in the Gare de l’Est area of Paris. Picasso’s renewed interest in this printing technique coincided with a new love interest: the 21-year-old artist Françoise Gilot. The pair met in 1943, moved in together in 1946, and had two children over their decade-long relationship, which ended in 1953 due to Picasso’s serial infidelities. Yet, in the immediate post-war years, Gilot represented a renaissance for Picasso, with her presence symbolising the exciting promise of a new beginning in his life and art. Unsurprisingly then, when Picasso embarked on a spate of over 400 lithographs in Mourlot’s studio, it was Françoise Gilot’s likeness that frequently appeared in the images he produced.
“He looked, he listened, he did the opposite of what he had learnt - and it worked”
—Fernand Mourlot on Picasso's knowledge of lithography
Buste de jeune femme was executed in 1949 and is a remarkable example of Picasso’s involvement with lithography. Picasso drew directly on the lithographic stones at Mourlot’s studio, using brushes, crayons and his hands to experiment with mark-making and create rich tonal variations. In the present lot, the artist’s lover stares directly out at the viewer, appearing youthful yet strong and almost quasi-statuesque in her composure. The marks of the lithographic crayons and brushes are evident, creating an abundance of texture and alluding to the artistic process behind this graphic technique. Picasso relished the freedom offered to him by the lithographic medium, as he was able to easily rework an image, much like he would a painting. Due to the continuous nature of this process, many of the lithographs Picasso made at this time have multiple states. Buste de jeune femme has two states, of which the present lot is the second. This piece is emblematic of the artist’s mastery and manipulation of the lithographic technique. Furthermore, it showcases Picasso’s prodigious collaboration with Mourlot and his sustained meditation of his lover, the artist Françoise Gilot.