Art, literature & historyWoman with a Helmet of Hair
1904
- Dating
- Exact year
- Held at
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Medium
- Gouache on tan wood pulp board
- Dimensions
- 42.7 × 31.3 cm (16 13/16 × 12 3/8 in.)
- Collection no.
- 1950.128
- Attribution
- By the artist
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
About this artwork
Woman with a Helmet of Hair — Pablo Picasso. 1904.
Medium: Gouache on tan wood pulp board. Dimensions: 42.7 × 31.3 cm (16 13/16 × 12 3/8 in.).
Collection record: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.
We know very little about the woman depicted in this blue-hued drawing beyond her first name: Madeleine. She was likely Picasso’s model and lover during the summer of 1904; this depiction of her shows him experimenting with color and form to explore somber emotional states.
Description: © Art Institute of Chicago, original record, CC BY 4.0. HTML formatting removed; wording retained. Other artwork metadata: CC0.
Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.
Location checked Sep 10, 2026. This does not indicate whether the work is on display.