Pablo Picasso had originally scribed the motif into a zinc plate in order to print an etching. However, zinc was not suitable as a printing medium, so the artist changed his mind and printed the zinc as a lithograph - now in negative. The sheet shows Picasso's innovative skills in printmaking.

In Tête sur fond noir, created in 1953, Pablo Picasso renders a striking portrait of Françoise Gilot, his partner and muse during a prolific and emotionally charged period of his life. Executed in white line etching against a dense black background, the composition exemplifies Picasso’s late mastery of simplified form and expressive line, distilling the human face into a powerful graphic symbol.

This work is a quintessential example of Picasso’s ongoing exploration of the female portrait. Here, Gilot’s visage is fractured yet unified - angular yet graceful. Her features, composed of interlocking planes and sweeping contours, hover between abstraction and figuration. Despite the stylisation, her gaze remains direct, serene, and enigmatic, reflecting the strength and independence that defined her both as a woman and as a fellow artist.

The contrast of white line against black evokes the feel of a drawing carved from darkness, heightening the work’s intensity and drama. There is a sculptural quality to the image, suggesting both delicacy and monumentality.

Tête sur fond noir stands not just as a portrait of Françoise Gilot, but as a testament to Picasso’s ability to convey complexity and emotional depth with a few incisive lines. It is a bold, intimate, and enduring image - one that speaks to love, influence, and the transformational power of artistic relationships.

Printed by Mourlot Freres, Paris in 1953
Published by Galerie Louis Leiris, Paris in 1953