Pregnant Woman

In 1948, Picasso took up residence in Vallauris, near Cannes and the Madoura pottery. The path between his house and his recently acquired studio in an old perfume factory crossed a waste ground where the local potters used to throw away refuse and debris, and where Picasso would find material for his work. In this period, coinciding with the recent pregnancies of Françoise Gilot, Picasso created his second Pregnant Woman (1950), using water jars for the belly and breasts, and modeling the rest of the piece. After it was cast in bronze, the intermediate plaster figure of the woman as receptacle of life was modified in 1959, adding a navel, nipples, and more solid feet.