Picasso’s Impassioned Exploration of the Female Form

Never before offered at auction, Femme nue couchée is a tour de force of Picasso’s famed 1932 artistic production. Up until this point he had only made reference to his extramarital affair with Marie-Thérèse in code, sometimes embedding her symbolically in a composition or rendering her unmistakable profile as a feature of the background. But by the end of 1931, Picasso could no longer repress the creative impulse that his lover inspired, especially as his marriage grew increasingly unbearable. This work will be offered as a highlight in Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction, 17 May 2022. Learn More: