Musea

Scene

Dora Maar is seated regally in a high-backed wooden chair within a shallow interior space. A small black cat is poised behind her shoulders. The wooden floor tilts sharply upward, creating a sense of unstable perspective.

Figures

The painting depicts Dora Maar, Picasso’s lover and principal muse of the late 1930s and early 1940s. She appears three-quarter length with a sculptural, almost monumental presence. A small black cat perches behind her, echoing her sharp features.

Symbolism

The cat can be read as an ambivalent emblem of their relationship, playful yet capable of hurt. Dora’s claw-like hands visually link her to the cat’s aggression. Her elaborate hat with a red band suggests a pagan or goddess-like figure enthroned.

Craft

Picasso uses Cubist-derived faceted planes and fractured anatomy to construct the figure and facial features. This technique breaks her features into displaced profiles, denying a simple reading of her personality.

Impact

The painting is widely regarded as one of Picasso’s most elaborate and psychologically charged portraits of Dora. It sold at auction in 2006 for approximately $95.2 million, underscoring its status as a major wartime work.