Oil on canvas
The terra-cotta shades and heaviness of the figures in Two Nudes derive from Picasso’s interest at the time in the ancient Iberian sculpture of his native Spain. These two women are nearly mirror images, but the face of the figure on the left bears a strong resemblance to that of the figure on the far left in Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (also on view in this gallery). Like the woman in Demoiselles, with whom she shares a chiseled nose and dark, hollow eyes, the nude seen here holds open a curtain and gazes outward, as though inviting us in.
2019
Provenance Research Project
This work is included in the Provenance Research Project, which investigates the ownership history of works in MoMA's collection.
Ambroise Vollard (1867-1939), Paris. Until 1915
John Quinn, New York. Acquired from Vollard through Carroll Galleries, New York, April 1915 - 1924
Quinn Estate, 1924 - 1926
Paul Rosenberg, Paris. By 1932
Rosenberg and Helft, London. By 1939 - until 1946 at least. (In Rosenberg collection, by 1932 - at least 1946)
Keith Warner, Vermont
E. and A. Silberman Galleries, New York. By January 1953 - at least until end of 1953
G. David Thompson, Pittsburgh. By 1955 - 1959
The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of G. David Thompson in honor of Alfred H. Barr, Jr., 1959
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Pablo Picasso
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Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon
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