Focus on this artwork and analyze the Background.
Picasso met Walter in 1927, while he was married to the Russian ballerina Olga Khokhlova. Their first meeting occurred outside the Galeries Lafayette in Paris, when Picasso stopped Walter in the street and asked to paint her portrait. Picasso was 45 years of age, but Walter, who was aged just 17, was impressed. In 2011, John Richardson, Picasso's biographer related this event. "She was at the Galeries Lafayette that day to buy a col Claudine—a Peter Pan collar—and matching cuffs. 'You have an interesting face,' Picasso told her. 'I would like to do a portrait of you. I am Picasso.' The name meant nothing to Marie-Thérèse, but the fact that an artist found her beautiful thrilled her." This was the beginning of a long-term affair that remained a secret until 1958.
Galeries Lafayette Olga Khokhlova John Richardson