As a rising star on the Paris art scene, Picasso was inspired to venture deeper into his experiments in Cubism when he met Eva Gouel in 1911. This young woman became his muse, and, to declare his love, Picasso wrote her nickname “Ma Jolie” (my pretty one) on the surface of his paintings. This exhibition unites two masterpieces, Ma Jolie (1913-14) from the IMA’s collection, and Female Nude (I Love Eva) (1912) on loan from the Columbus Museum of Art, and sets them in the context of Cubism and the popular song from which Eva got her nickname.

Image credit: Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973), Ma Jolie (detail), 1913–1914, oil on canvas, 21-3/16 × 25-5/8 in. Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Bequest of Mrs. James W. Fesler, 61.36 © 2017 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.