Weeping Woman by Picasso

Acquisition of Weeping Woman by Picasso, 1937, one of the first and most extreme paintings which resulted from his explosive reaction to the rise of Fascism at the time of the Spanish Civil War. It is an intensely personal image, whose features are modelled on his lover Dora Maar, as well as an emblem of the suffering of the Spanish nation. It captures a mood of moral anxiety that haunted those who witnessed the war from abroad. The painting was bought by Sir Roland Penrose shortly after it was painted and has been in this country ever since. Oil on canvas, frame 847 x 86 x 739mm, support: 608 x 500mm.