15 Lesser-Known Facts About Pablo Picasso’s ‘Women of Algiers’

Although not Picasso’s most iconic piece, Women of Algiers (also known as Les Femmes d’Alger) gained significant attention in 2015 due to a groundbreaking auction and controversial censorship. However, the story behind Women of Algiers goes far beyond the sensational news.

The Women of Algiers series serves as a heartfelt homage.

Over a century after Eugène Delacroix finished his renowned work Women of Algiers in their Apartment, Picasso developed a deep fascination with it. Artist Françoise Gilot remembered Picasso frequently mentioning his desire to reinterpret Femmes d’Alger, often taking her to the Louvre to study Delacroix’s masterpiece. Picasso once remarked, ‘That bastard. He’s really good.’ In 1954, Picasso embarked on creating 15 oil paintings and numerous sketches, collectively titled Women of Algiers, Versions A to O.

The collection also served as an homage to Henri Matisse.

Following the passing of his close friend and rival, Henri Matisse, in November 1954, Picasso viewed Women of Algiers as an opportunity to explore a theme his frenemy had cherished—the odalisques (harem or chambermaids often portrayed in the nude). When artist Roland Penrose visited to see the entire series, Picasso remarked, “After Matisse’s death, he bequeathed his odalisques to me, and this is my interpretation of the Orient, even though I’ve never set foot there.”

Picasso later confided to Kahnweiler, “I sometimes think that perhaps this is a gift from Matisse. After all, why shouldn’t we inherit from our friends?”

Version A and Version B of Les Femmes d’Alger were both finished on the very same day.

On December 13, 1954, Picasso launched into his intense two-month creation of Women of Algiers, starting with these two pieces. The first showcased bold, lively colors, while the second adopted a subdued, monochromatic style using the grisaille technique.

Jacqueline Roque, Picasso’s partner at the time, served as the model for Women of Algiers.

By the time Picasso reached Version C, he had incorporated Roque into his series, convinced that his future second wife bore a striking resemblance to the kneeling figure on the right side of Delacroix’s original painting.

Roque’s petite and compact figure is thought to have inspired many of the three central characters in the Women of Algiers series. Art historians have also identified Roque’s facial features in the leftmost figure of Version O.

Each version of the painting was created through improvisation.

Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, Picasso’s art dealer and advocate, later shared a recollection of the artist’s process, stating, “Picasso often mentioned that he would ponder the next day’s painting in the Femmes d’Alger series, curious about its outcome. He would say, ‘It’s not about recapturing time, but about uncovering something new.’”

Picasso worried that Version K might not be well-received.

This particular piece from the Women of Algiers series blended grisaille techniques with Cubism. However, as Picasso had pioneered the avant-garde movement almost five decades earlier, he confided to Kahnweiler, “I fear no one will appreciate it anymore.”

Version L might have drawn inspiration from a celestial source.

One of the five monochromatic works in the Women of Algiers series, Version L depicts a solitary woman seated firmly, holding a hookah. This rendition may have been influenced by an ancient Middle Eastern goddess of love and war. The auction notes from its 2011 sale (where it fetched $21 million) describe her as “the goddess Astarte, enthroned in her temple, seated en majesté, yet enigmatic and sphinxlike—a timeless symbol of powerful, fertile femininity, evoking reverence and awe.”

Version M was created on the very day Picasso’s wife passed away.

Olga Khokhlova, the Russian ballerina and Picasso’s wife, immortalized in Portrait d’Olga dans un fauteuil (Olga in an Armchair), succumbed to cancer on February 11, 1955. Although still legally married, the couple had lived apart for two decades due to Picasso’s infidelities.

The concluding piece of the series, Version O, stands out as the ultimate in multiple respects.

The concluding piece of the Women of Algiers series, Version O, is also its most celebrated. Art critic Leo Steinberg praised it as “a synthesis on multiple levels,” while Jerry Saltz of New York Magazine described it as “a masterful exploration of painting techniques, art history, color, structure, and form.” Its fame often leads to it being mistakenly referred to simply as “Women of Algiers.”

Picasso was convinced Delacroix would have admired his Women of Algiers.

“I wonder what Delacroix would think if he saw these,” Picasso once mused to Kahnweiler, who suggested Delacroix would likely approve. Picasso agreed, adding, “Yes, I believe so. I’d tell him: ‘You thought of Rubens and created a Delacroix. I think of you and create something entirely new.’”

The creation of Women of Algiers motivated Picasso to relocate in 1955.

In the hills near Cannes, Picasso discovered La Californie, a magnificent villa that he felt resonated with the essence of Women of Algiers. Though the series was complete, his fascination endured, prompting him and Roque to move from Paris to this enchanting location, drawn by its “Orientalist charm.”

Picasso’s dealer insisted on selling the Women of Algiers series as a complete collection.

Picasso doubted anyone would buy all 15 pieces together, but Kahnweiler, his dealer, stood firm, making it a non-negotiable condition: the series had to be sold as a whole.

In June 1956, American collectors Victor and Sally Ganz paid $212,500 to acquire the entire set. Later, they sold 10 pieces to the Saidenberg Gallery, retaining only Versions C, H, K, M, and O for their personal collection.

After their initial exhibition, it has become rare to see all the Women of Algiers paintings displayed together.

From June to October 1955, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris showcased the entire series as part of a retrospective celebrating Picasso’s work over the past 55 years. Since then, the paintings have been dispersed to private collections and museums worldwide. Version L resides in Berlin’s Museum Berggruen, Version N is held by the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, and SFMOMA also owns one of the pieces.

Version O set a new record as the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction.

On May 12, 2015, Version O was auctioned at Christie’s in New York for $179 million, exceeding its estimated price by nearly $40 million. This sale surpassed the previous record held by Francis Bacon’s triptych Three Studies of Lucian Freud, which sold for $142.4 million in November 2013. While other artworks have since overtaken it, Version O remains at no. 9 on the list of the most expensive paintings ever sold as of 2022.

Version O became the focal point of a censorship controversy.

While Version O’s record-breaking sale made global headlines, controversy erupted when a New York Fox affiliate censored the painting’s Cubist portrayal of breasts to avoid offending viewers. This decision, however, outraged art enthusiasts, leading the station to issue a public apology.