Pablo Picasso’s Jacqueline au Bandeau, 1962, a linoleum cut on Arches wove paper, signed and numbered. It belongs to Picasso’s celebrated late linocuts and is a portrait of Jacqueline Roque, his final muse and second wife, who inspired more works than any other woman in his life.

Unlike some of Picasso’s brightly colored linocuts from the early 1960s, this portrait is executed in stark contrasts of black and warm earthy tones, lending the image both solemnity and power. Jacqueline’s head emerges from a dense black ground, her features etched out through expressive carved lines. The bold vertical strokes and angular hatching reveal the planes of her face, creating a sense of sculptural presence within a flat medium.

Her expression is pensive and enigmatic—large almond-shaped eyes, elongated nose, and softly parted lips suggest both intimacy and monumentality. The bandeau (headband) is only subtly indicated, yet it provides a structural frame for her flowing hair and accentuates her timeless, iconic presence.

By 1962, Picasso had mastered the linocut reduction process, pushing the medium to unprecedented expressive heights. Here, he uses deep gouging and striated marks to build form through light and shadow, achieving an effect closer to drawing or even painting than to traditional printmaking.

The choice of Arches wove paper, prized for its ability to hold the ink’s richness, allows the contrasting tones to resonate with intensity. This work demonstrates how Picasso could transform the inherently rigid linocut into a medium of extraordinary fluidity and depth.

This portrait is part of Picasso’s vast visual dialogue with Jacqueline, whose presence dominated his work from their meeting in 1952 until his death in 1973. More than any of his muses—Marie-Thérèse, Dora Maar, Françoise Gilot—Jacqueline appears as both beloved woman and artistic archetype, rendered across paintings, drawings, ceramics, and prints.

In Jacqueline au Bandeau, she becomes an almost sculptural figure, elevated from portrait to icon. The dramatic chiaroscuro and monumental treatment embody the reverence Picasso felt toward her, while the experimental linocut technique underscores his restless creativity.

Jacqueline au Bandeau (1962) is a linoleum cut on Arches wove paper by Pablo Picasso, signed and numbered. Rendered in striking contrasts of black and earthy tones, the portrait depicts Jacqueline Roque, Picasso’s lifelong muse and wife, through bold carved lines and expressive shadows. Exemplifying Picasso’s mastery of the linocut and his profound engagement with Jacqueline as subject, the work transforms a personal likeness into a timeless, modern icon.