The Egyptian

<p><em>The Egyptian</em> is said to depict the artist Françoise Gilot (1921–2023), Picasso’s romantic partner from 1943–53. Gilot once claimed “I am the only woman who did not sacrifice herself to the sacred monster [Picasso]” after she left him in 1953 with their two children. In this large-scale print we see her face from the front and in profile accompanied by large and clumsy hands. Picasso worked with the printer Roger Lacourière to create this work, using a technique they invented together: sugar-lift aquatint. In this process, an artist draws or paints directly on a copper plate.</p>