Portrait of Dora Maar

Working in oil on canvas, Pablo Picasso painted this striking portrait in 1937, depicting the photographer Dora Maar who was his companion and muse at the time. Her face is shown from multiple angles simultaneously, a hallmark of Cubism, with sharp, angular features and bold colors. The painting captures both her beauty and her intense, intellectual personality.

Dora Maar (born Theodora Markovitch) was a successful Surrealist photographer when she met Picasso. Their relationship coincided with his work on Guernica, which she documented. Picasso painted Dora many times, often depicting her as a "weeping woman" during their turbulent years together. This portrait shows her seated, perhaps in a café, with characteristic red fingernails and dark hair.