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Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) – Femme Torero I
Etching from 1934.
The edition of 50 on Montval paper.
Dimensions of work: 57 x 77 cm.
Reference: Bloch 1329; Baer 425.
The work is in Excellent condition.
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Femme Torero I belongs to Picasso’s most evocative etchings of the 1930s, a period marked by emotional intensity and technical mastery. Created in 1934, it transforms the Spanish corrida—so deeply rooted in the artist’s childhood—into an allegory of passion, sacrifice, and desire. For Picasso, the bullfight was a sacred ritual, where creation and destruction met in a dance of power and sensuality.
Here, the bullfighter’s figure—delicate and androgynous—bears the traits of Marie-Thérèse Walter, Picasso’s muse and lover. The confrontation between bull and femme torero becomes both erotic and symbolic: a moment of intimacy rather than violence. The bull’s humanised features and the exchange of gazes suggest a kiss, perhaps a metaphorical last one. The audience fades into mere lines, emphasizing the scene’s inward, dreamlike quality.
The print reflects Picasso’s own inner conflicts during his turbulent relationship with Olga Khokhlova and Marie-Thérèse. As in his later masterpiece La Minotauromachie, the artist identifies with both the beast and the matador, exploring love, struggle, and transformation.
The edition of fifty proofs, commissioned by Ambroise Vollard, was never completed after the dealer’s death. Only a few impressions, printed by Lacourière and occasionally signed by Picasso, exist today. The large format and masterful execution foreshadow Picasso’s great etching achievements that would soon follow.
