In 1911, Henri Laurens met Georges Braque, and they became lifelong friends. Inspired by the artist, Laurens began working in a Cubist manner, and while he eventually moved away from the style, evidence of its influence remained. Based on imagery he encountered in ancient Greek and Roman pottery, the seated woman became a favored subject, and it appears in his work as early as 1918. Laurens is known for his development of an organic, curvaceous, and abstract bravura and stated, “I aspire to a ripeness of form. I should like to succeed in making it so full, so juicy that nothing could be added.”

Label from Picasso: The Artist and His Models, November 5, 2016–February 19, 2017