Much of Picasso’s career can be charted by the succession of his relationships with women and his depictions of them. These portraits variously reflect affection, passion, conflict, and hostility. While still married to Ukrainian ballet dancer Olga Khokhlova, he had begun an affair with Marie-Thérèse Walter, whom he met in 1927 when she was still a teenager. For most of the nine years they were involved, Picasso’s potent references to Walter were encoded in visual clues such as initials, hats, body parts, and items of clothing worn by his young girlfriend.

Here, the choice of animal motif is rife with symbolism: it may be connected to Picasso’s recent move to the countryside, but it is also a symbol of France and alludes to the artist’s libido. The preening male rooster has feathers that arch suggestively, creating a negative space that may also reference the outline of Walter’s identifiable profile—high forehead, short haircut, and pronounced facial features.

Wall label, 2021.

• Wight, Frederick S. 20th Century Sculpture from Southern California Collections. Los Angeles: UCLA Art Galleries, 1972.
• Phil Freshman. Los Angeles County Museum of Art Report, July 1, 1981-June 30, 1983. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1984.
• Spies, Werner. Picasso: the Sculptures. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2000.