Lady with a Fan

Pablo Picasso, 1905

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About This Work

Shown from the thighs up, Lady with a Fan depicts a young woman in profile facing toward the left while holding a closed fan. Rendered in 1905 during Picasso’s Rose Period, the painting presents a striking chromatic contrast between the sitter's pale skin, her vibrant electric-blue long-sleeved shirt, and a neutral brown skirt. Her dark hair is neatly tied back with a delicate pink bow at the crown of her head. With heavy-lidded eyes, a softly pointed nose, and closed lips, her expression is serene and introspective. One knee juts forward dynamically within the vertical composition. Her raised hand is held near her face with the palm facing outward, while the other hand rests near her waist supporting the slender fan. The background consists of atmospheric brushstrokes in smoky shades of blue and gray. Picasso signed and dated the lower right corner simply as "Picasso 1905."

Created in 1905, Lady with a Fan dates from a transformative period in Pablo Picasso's career when he transitioned away from the monochromatic melancholy of his Blue Period toward the warmer, more tactile palette of his Rose Period. During this time in Paris, Picasso engaged deeply with avant-garde circles, notably including Gertrude Stein, who owned this painting by 1913 before it passed through prominent dealers such as Paul Rosenberg. The work reflects Picasso's evolving interest in monumental figuration, sculptural solidity, and classical poise, influenced by ancient Iberian and classical sculpture. Art historians and critics, including Meyer Schapiro, have extensively examined the psychological depth and formal transformation embodied in this portrait. Entering the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington through the W. Averell Harriman Foundation in 1972, the painting stands as a masterwork bridging early modernist portraiture with monumentalism.

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