Image: Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
View source →Nude on a Black Couch
Pablo Picasso, 1932
Technical Details
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
162 × 130 cm (63.8 × 51.2 in)
Style
Surrealism / Painting
Decade
1930s
About This Work
This large, voluptuous nude depicts Marie-Thérèse Walter reclining on a black couch, her body rendered in the biomorphic, sensual forms that characterize Picasso's most celebrated period. The contrast between the warm flesh tones and the black couch creates a dramatic visual tension, while the figure's relaxed, sleeping pose suggests complete vulnerability and trust.
Painted in the same extraordinary year as Le Rêve and Nude, Green Leaves and Bust, this work belongs to the series of large-scale nudes that represent the peak of Picasso's Surrealist period. The 1932 series is considered among the greatest achievements in the history of figure painting.
Current Location
Valuation & Provenance
2026 Estimated Value
$50–80 million (est.)
* Estimates are based on comparable auction results and market analysis. Not a formal appraisal.
Last Known Sale
$45.1 million
2015
Christie's New York
Keywords
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Picasso: A Life Documentary
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