Description
This portrait depicts Jacqueline Roque (1927–1986), Picasso’s second wife, whom he represented frequently. They were married from 1961 until Picasso’s death in 1973 and, during this time, Roque supported his art and ran his household. Roque characterized their intimate connection: “Pablo is the very essence of care, tenderness, and generosity. How lucky I was that my marriage with Hutin [her first husband] did not succeed, otherwise, I should have missed out on life.”
Provenance
Artist's estate; Claude Ruiz-Picasso (1947-2023). Pace Wildenstein Gallery, New York. Leslie Wexner, Columbus, Ohio; to Richard and Mary L. Gray and the Gray Collection Trust, Chicago, Nov. 1994 (promised to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2018); given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2022.
Accession Number
202394
Medium
Graphite, with smudging, and touches of black ballpoint pen, on cream wove paper
Dimensions
34.9 × 25 cm (13 3/4 × 9 7/8 in.)
Classification
graphite
Credit Line
Gift of Richard and Mary L. Gray
Background & Context
Background Story
Pablo Picasso's Portrait of Jacqueline (December 28, 1962) is a graphite drawing with smudging and touches of black ballpoint pen on cream wove paper. Jacqueline Roque was Picasso's second wife, and he created countless portraits of her throughout their marriage. This drawing captures her with the tenderness of long familiarity, the graphite technique refined and sensitive. The addition of ballpoint pen is unusual and shows Picasso's willingness to use any available tool.
Cultural Impact
Picasso's portraits of Jacqueline Roque constitute one of the most sustained series of portraits of a single subject in 20th-century art.
Why It Matters
This portrait of Jacqueline captures Picasso's wife with the tenderness of long familiarity, the refined graphite and ballpoint pen creating a sensitive likeness.
