Portrait of André Breton, Three-Quarters View (Portrait d'André Breton de trois quarts)

Portrait of André Breton, Three-Quarters View (Portrait d'André Breton de trois quarts) by Pablo Picasso, executed in 1923, is a significant print depicting the central theorist of the Surrealist movement. The subject, French poet and writer André Breton, is captured by the Spanish artist during a transitional period in Picasso’s career, placing this work at the confluence of his Neoclassical phase and his burgeoning engagement with the Parisian avant-garde who were formulating Surrealism.

The work is classified as a drypoint print, a technique that requires scoring the copper plate directly with a sharp stylus. This process raises a burr of metal alongside the incised line, which, when inked, produces the characteristic soft, velvety richness seen in the finished impression. Picasso employs this medium with restraint and precision, using strong, economical lines to define Breton’s contemplative profile and severe gaze. This formal presentation, rendered in a three-quarters view, grants the subject an appearance of intellectual authority, consistent with the foundational role he played in modern art history.

While the subject represented the revolutionary thrust of early 20th-century art, the formal execution reflects the simplified, almost architectural modeling that characterized many of Picasso’s outputs around 1923. Although Picasso himself would never fully adhere to the formalized tenets of Surrealism, his frequent depiction of its founders and participants demonstrates his deep connection to the evolving intellectual and cultural landscape of Paris. The power of this particular piece lies in its quiet intensity, documenting a crucial personal and artistic relationship during this pivotal decade. This important drypoint print is housed within the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).