At first glance it is hard to identify the jaunty, overlapping shapes on this narrow canvas. In time one discerns a cup and saucer, bottle, pipe, and a folded newspaper, all placed on a round tabletop. María Blanchard was one of very few women in the first generation of Cubists, and surely the only Spanish woman. In this Still Life, she distills household objects and presents them as if seen from multiple angles. This painting is unapologetically bold, exemplifying Blanchard’s deep exploration of Cubism from about 1917 to 1920 while living in Paris.

Oil on canvas.

Henry H. and Zoe Oliver Sherman Fund.

2024.2329