Curator's Choice: In her own words... Frances Morris, Head of Collections at Tate Modern explains why Picasso's Weeping Woman is a personal favourite.
“I choose this piece because it is an iconic work, a highlight of Surrealism and one which I personally spent a lot of time with in the 90s when I catalogued the work for Tate .
The painting is an amazing depiction of female grief and a metaphor for the tragedy of Spain. It was painted during the Spanish Civil War as one of a series made in response to the tragedy of Guernica. It powerfully captures an immense moment of sadness.
It is a portrait of Picasso’s mistress, Dora Maar, a distinguished photographer. The work is particularly personal to me because I met Dora Maar in Paris when I was cataloguing the work. Of course, by then she was an elderly lady, but she was an amazing, emotional and volatile character who fascinated me.
She made a strong impression on me and spoke of the turbulent times in which she lived and her turbulent relationship with Picasso as his mistress from 1936 to 1943.
The piece was originally purchased from Picasso by well-known writer and British Surrealist painter, Roland Penrose. Penrose saw the painting at Picasso’s studio when the paint was still wet on the canvas and instantly wanted to buy it.
Pablo Picasso, Weeping Woman 1937 © Succession Picasso/DACS 2007
Weeping Woman became an iconic work within the history of British Surrealism. In 1937 it was shown at Whitechapel Gallery as part of a very important exhibition of major Surrealist paintings.
In 1939, the painting was shown alongside Guernica in London and Brighton - Lucien Freud remembers taking it to Brighton for the show, on the train and sitting opposite it, fascinated by the brilliance of its colour in the sunshine. He was mesmerised by it and the painting has gone on to influence countless other artists since.
Roland Penrose bequeathed the painting to his son Anthony but art thieves stole it from his apartment in 1969. Fortunately, the police recovered the work and Roland and his son placed the work on long loan at Tate- realising that it was too hot a property to look after on their own.
After Roland's death it was offered to the Tate in lieu of tax. The acquisition was supported by the National Heritage Lottery Fund, the National Art Collections Fund, the Friends of the Tate Gallery and a public appeal. Weeping Woman has been hanging in the galleries ever since.”
Picasso's Weeping Woman 1937 is now part of Tate Liverpool's permanent collection
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