Lithograph on paper
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Gustav and Elly Kahnweiler
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/pablo-picasso-1767" aria-label="More by Pablo Picasso" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Pablo Picasso</a>
Woman in an Armchair No1 Polish Cloak
Presented by Gustav and Elly Kahnweiler 1974, accessioned 1994
actions: postures and motions
adults
chair
furnishings
objects
people
sitting
woman
<p>This print depicts Picasso’s companion Françoise Gilot wearing a coat he brought back for her from the World Peace Congress in Poland in 1948. Picasso made six different versions of the lithograph. This artist’s proof, taken from the second version, was given to Gustav and Elly for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary by Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler and is inscribed on the back ‘To Elly and Gustav for their silver wedding anniversary with my affection, Heini, March 1950’.</p><p><em>Gallery label, September 2004</em></p>
paper print lithograph
24 May 2004 – 8 November 2004
2004-11-08
24 May 2004
2004-05-24
Tate Modern (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/
11 December 2004
2004-12-11
Tate Liverpool (Liverpool, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/liverpool/
2004-05-24
Cubism and its Legacy: The Gift of Gustav and Elly Kahnweiler
Collection based display
11 December 2004 – 2 May 2005
2005-05-02
11 December 2004 – 2 May 2005
2005-05-02
2004-12-11
Tate Liverpool (Liverpool, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/liverpool/
2004-12-11
Cubism and its Legacy: The Gift of Gustav and Elly Kahnweiler
Collection based display
6 July 2007 – 28 October 2007
2007-10-28
6 July 2007 – 28 October 2007
2007-10-28
2007-07-06
Royal Museum (Edinburgh, U.K.)
2007-07-06
Picasso at Vallauris
Loan-out
21 May 2010 – 30 August 2010
2010-08-30
21 May 2010 – 30 August 2010
2010-08-30
2010-05-21
Tate Liverpool (Liverpool, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/liverpool/
16 September 2010 – 16 January 2011
2011-01-16
2010-09-16
Albertina Museum (Vienna, Austria)
http://www.albertina.at/en
2010-05-21
Picasso: Peace and Freedom
Exhibition
Woman in an Armchair No.1 (The Polish Cloak)
image: 688 × 511 mm

Presented by <a href="/search?gid=999999791" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">Gustav and Elly Kahnweiler</a> 1974, accessioned 1994
<i>Woman in an Armchair No.1 (The Polish Cloak)</i> depicts Picasso’s companion Françoise Gilot sitting on a chair, wearing the coat he had brought back for her from Poland after attending the first World Peace Congress in Wroclaw in 1948 (see also <i>Woman at the Window</i>, <a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/picasso-woman-at-the-window-p11362" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>P11362</span></a>). Using <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/l/lithography" title="Glossary definition for 'Lithography'"><span>lithographic</span></a> <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/i/ink" title="Glossary definition for 'Ink'"><span>ink</span></a> as wash, the artist created soft <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/t/tone" title="Glossary definition for 'Tone'"><span>tones</span></a> and delicate shading to describe her face and richer, more solid areas of black and white to render her hair and ornate coat.
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<br/>Between December 1948 and January 1949 Picasso made six different versions of the lithograph <i>Woman in an Armchair</i> in the atelier of the printer Fernand Mourlot in Paris. Although called <i>Woman in an Armchair No.1</i>, this <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/print" title="Glossary definition for 'Print'"><span>print</span></a> is from the definitive state of the second version. The first version was simply called <i>Woman in an Armchair</i>. The subject clearly engaged Picasso’s attention. He first tackled it by making a version in yellow, red, green, purple and black which was printed from five separate zinc plates, one for each colour. Dissatisfied with the result, he then reworked all the plates to make a second, more ornate state. He then proceeded to make a second version, which comprises ten states, from the red zinc plate. At this point Picasso made six states, which varied significantly from each other. He then transferred the fifth of these onto a new zinc plate and at the same time made a ‘corrected tracing’ on tracing <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/paper" title="Glossary definition for 'Paper'"><span>paper</span></a>, which he transferred onto another plate. He then produced three more states from the transfer and eventually reworked the corrected tracing entirely with ink wash and produced the current print, which constitutes the definitive state of the second version. Picasso originally wanted to superimpose this state over the third state of the transfer, which was to be printed in grey for this purpose, but was not entirely satisfied with the result and abandoned this idea, deciding to have the reworked tracing printed on its own instead.
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<br/>The <i>Woman in an Armchair</i> series – which also comprises four further versions made from the original green, yellow, purple and black zinc plates – is widely considered the pinnacle of Picasso’s lithographic work. This print in particular demonstrates his mastery of lithographic technique. It was printed on white Arches wove paper in an <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/e/edition" title="Glossary definition for 'Edition'"><span>edition</span></a> of a small number of artist’s proofs plus fifty signed and numbered prints and published by the Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris.
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<br/>This artist’s <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/proof" title="Glossary definition for 'Proof'"><span>proof</span></a> was a twenty-fifth wedding anniversary gift from the art dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler of the Galerie Louise Leiris to his brother Gustav and sister-in-law Elly Kahnweiler, who bequeathed it to Tate.
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<br/><b>Further reading</b>
<br/>Fernand Mourlot, <i>Picasso Lithographe</i>, Paris 1970, pp.101-19, reproduced p.109
<br/>Brigitte Baer, <i>Picasso the Printmaker: Graphics from the Marina Picasso Collection</i>, exhibition catalogue, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas 1983
<br/>Giorgia Bottinelli, ‘Pablo Picasso’, in Jennifer Mundy (ed.), <i>Cubism and its Legacy: The Gift of Gustav and Elly Kahnweiler</i>, exhibition catalogue, Tate Modern, London 2004, pp.88-90, reproduced p.97
<br/>
<br/>Giorgia Bottinelli
<br/>June 2004


Summary
2005-09-15T00:00:00
summary
SHORT_TEXT
<p><span>This <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/print" title="Glossary definition for 'Print'"><span>print</span></a> depicts Picasso’s companion Françoise Gilot wearing a coat he brought back for her from the World Peace Congress in Poland in 1948. Picasso made six different versions of the <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/l/lithography" title="Glossary definition for 'Lithography'"><span>lithograph</span></a>. This artist’s <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/proof" title="Glossary definition for 'Proof'"><span>proof</span></a>, taken from the second version, was given to Gustav and Elly for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary by Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler and is inscribed on the back ‘To Elly and Gustav for their silver wedding anniversary with my affection, Heini, March 1950’.</span></p>

Display caption
2004-09-10T00:00:00
display-caption
DISPLAY_CAPTION
actions: postures and motions adults chair furnishings objects people sitting woman