Gertrude Stein
Pablo Picasso, 1906
Oil on canvas, 39 3/8" x 32"
The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York
Spanish artist Pablo Picasso is considered one of the most important and influential figures in twentieth-century art. Throughout his career, Picasso painted in a variety of styles, from classical to abstract. This portrait was produced in Paris between Picasso's Harlequin and Cubist periods. The subject, expatriate avant-garde American writer Gertude Stein, was an early supporter and patron of Picasso's work.

The portrait was painted from life in a broad, monumental style appropriate for the subject. After a visit to Spain, Picasso reworked the head without the sitter, creating an arresting, mask-like face. [ Detail ]