Although he may be best known as one of the most innovative and prolific painters of all time, Pablo Picasso was also a voracious printmaker. Applying the same level of creativity to this medium as he did to all others, Picasso’s prints varied in terms of both subject matter and medium—truly offer something for every collector.

Our 20th-century art sale, live for bidding now on Artnet Auctions, features one of the best examples of the artist’s color linocuts from mid-century: Portrait de Jacqueline au Chapeau de Paille (1962). 

Picasso created a total of 2,400 prints over the course of his long career, starting in 1899 and continuing until the year of his 90th birthday, in 1972. After focusing on etchings and then lithographs for several decades, he was introduced to linocut printing later in life. Because the linocut process is slightly less cumbersome than other forms of printmaking, it afforded the artist more freedom to create in his advanced age.

At around the same time that he began playing with the linocut technique, Picasso met Jacqueline Roque, his second wife and arguably his most significant muse. Over the course of their relationship, he created more than 400 portraits of her. Roque’s role as a muse and Picasso’s linocut period are deeply intertwined. During his time of intense experimentation with the linocut in the 1950s and ’60s, the artist’s boldest and most interesting works are those that feature Roque.

Prints and multiples by Picasso consistently sell for higher than their high estimates at auction, representing an active market.

While they represent only a small portion of his oeuvre, Picasso’s colorful linocuts from this period are among his most sought-after prints. Earlier this year, a linocut portrait of a seated woman from 1958 sold for $728,000 at Phillips New York, well above its pre-sale estimate. At the same time, general market interest in Picasso prints and multiples has been on the rise in the past 10 years. Picasso’s most famous print, La femme qui pleure I (1937), sold for more than $5 million at auction twice during the last decade, and the percentage of Picasso prints and multiples that have sold above their high estimate at auction has remained consistently high, with more than 50 percent of lots selling above their high estimate every year since 2009. 

Printmaking encompassed so much of what Picasso loved—innovation, problem-solving, and physicality. The challenges and obstacles that printmaking presented allowed his creativity to flow freely, driving him to find imaginative solutions to achieve the forms and colors he sought to express. With its bold colors, unique technique, and desirable period, Portrait de Jacqueline au Chapeau de Paille (1962), estimated at $120,000–180,000, represents a perfect opportunity for anyone looking to break into collecting Picasso, and to seasoned collectors alike. 

To learn more about this print by Picasso, click here to see the lot page on Artnet Auctions.

Please don’t hesitate to contact the specialist for this lot, Sylvie Francois, with any questions.

Specialist, Prints & Multiples

[email protected]

+1-212-497-9700 ext. 233