Buste de Femme (Bust of a Women)

Description of Art: Buste de Femme presents a deeply stylized portrait of a woman in bust form—emblematic of Picasso’s evolving approach to the female figure in the late 1930s. The figure’s features are rendered with simplified but powerful forms: curves of the cheek, the line of the neck, and the contours of the shoulders resonate with both classical poise and modern abstraction. The work balances asymmetry and harmony, merging profile and frontal elements in a manner typical of Picasso’s exploratory portrait style.

The lithograph edition preserves a quiet dignity: tonal subtleties underscore the facial planes and decorative garments or drapery. Monica’s signature—Marina’s name—on each print connects the work to the lineage of the Picasso estate, underscoring its legitimacy and place within the larger body of his estate editions.

This work meditates on the dualities of identity and form—how a woman can be simultaneously emblem and presence, an abstract construction and a living subject. The combination of the original’s expressive force and the careful reproduction via lithography brings forward both the spirit of Picasso’s artistic vision and the legacy of his estate’s authorized reproductions.