Pablo Picasso’s endless fascination with his lover’s character and form led to radical shifts in his conception of portraiture and the mystical metamorphoses that the act of creation entails. Picasso’s secretive love affair with Marie-Therese Walter, which began in 1927, inspired a radical shift in his conception of portraiture. The exhibition and catalogue present Marie-Therese as a primary vehicle for his experimentation during the period, including several works never before seen in the United States as well as previously unpublished personal letters and photographs. Picasso and Marie-Therese sheds new light on the interpretation of one of the most creative relationships in Picasso’s rich and varied oeuvre.

Essay by Markus Muller.

Edited by Ingrid Mussinger, Beate Ritter and Kerstin Drechsel, Essays by Johannes M. Fox, Norman Mailer, Pierre Daix, Amanda Vail and John Richardson.

An exploration of the fascinating parallels and differences between Picasso's Woman with a Book and Ingres's Madame Moitessier This publication examines, in detail, two extraordinary interrelated works: Picasso's Woman with a Book (1932) and Ingres's Madame Moitessier (1844-56). Each painting is explored in depth, illuminating the parallels and differences between the artists' techniques and creative ambitions. The first essay tells the story of the twelve-year gestation of Ingres's Madame Moitessier, focusing on the role of drawings in the elaboration of the composition, and of the sitter herself in determining how she was to be presented. The second essay traces the development of Picasso's Woman with a Book, among the most celebrated likenesses of the artist's young lover, Marie-Thérèse Walter. In contrast to Ingres's work, it was painted in just a day or two. The final essay explores, through these two works, the artists' shared interest in the relationship between nude and clothed bodies, revealing the depth of Picasso's engagement with Madame Moitessier, which motivates and animates Woman with a Book.

Published to accompany exhibition held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 13/2 - 1/5 1994 and travelling.

An award-winning study of Picasso by a prime authority on the artist.

Each volume in this new series offers an in-depth exploration of one major work in MoMA's collection. Through a lively illustrated essay by a MoMA curator that examines the work in detail, the publication delves into aspects of the artist's oeuvre and places the work in a broader social and arthistorical context.