There’s always something hiding beneath Picasso’s paintings, isn’t there?
A figure lost in time.
A face meant to be seen, then suddenly erased.
For 124 years, Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto was exactly what it claimed to be—a portrait of Picasso’s sculptor friend, a snapshot of the young artist shifting into his Blue Period.
But it was never just that.
Before de Soto sat at that table, before the blues took over, and before Picasso knew who he would become, there was someone else.
A woman painted, buried, and forgotten.
And now, technology has brought her back.
Who was she?
Why did Picasso abandon her for another image?
And what does this discovery tell us about the mind of an artist who never stopped reinventing himself?
Key Takeaways
- A hidden portrait of a woman was found beneath Picasso’s Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto (1901) using X-ray and infrared imaging.
- Picasso likely painted over the woman due to financial struggles and his shift toward the melancholic Blue Period.
- This discovery, part of a trend of hidden images in Picasso’s work, is now on display at Sammlung Oskar Reinhart Am Römerholz Museum until May 26, 2025.
X-Ray Technology Exposes Lost Picasso Portrait
A hidden portrait has been discovered beneath Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto, a painting Pablo Picasso completed in 1901 when he was just 19 years old.
The revelation came from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, where conservators examined the artwork using X-ray and infrared imaging.
Beneath the well-known portrait of Picasso’s Spanish sculptor friend, Mateu Fernández de Soto, lies the image of a seated woman.
Her head, curved shoulders, and fingers are clearly visible, along with a distinctive chignon hairstyle that was fashionable in early 20th-century Paris.
Experts believe she was painted just months before Picasso created de Soto’s portrait, suggesting she was part of an earlier composition that was later abandoned.
The painting is now on display at Sammlung Oskar Reinhart Am Römerholz Museum in Winterthur, Switzerland, as part of the Goya to Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Oskar Reinhart Collection exhibition, running from February 14 to May 26, 2025.
Who is the Mystery Woman? A Model, a Friend, or a Lover?
Art historians have been left to speculate about the identity of the hidden figure.
The woman resembles figures in other Picasso portraits from the same year, such as Absinthe Drinker (Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia) and Woman with Crossed Arms (Kunstmuseum Basel, Switzerland).
She may have been a model who sat for Picasso during his early years in Paris, a friend from the city’s bohemian circles, or even a lover.
The painting style suggests she was created when Impressionism still influenced Picasso.
This stylistic connection can be seen in Waiting, another of Picasso’s works from 1901, which is housed in the Picasso Museum in Barcelona.
However, her presence was erased when Picasso painted Mateu Fernández de Soto over her, a decision that may have been both practical and artistic.
Why Did Picasso Repaint the Canvas?
The Courtauld’s research indicates that Picasso did not simply discard the painting—he reworked it.
There is evidence of another head at an even lower level in the painting, suggesting the canvas was reused multiple times.
At the time, Picasso was living in Paris and struggling financially, meaning he often repurposed canvases rather than buying new ones.
But it wasn’t simply about saving money––Picasso was in the midst of a significant artistic transformation, moving from colorful Impressionist influences to the stark, emotional tones of his Blue Period.
His sorrow over the death of his close friend, Carlos Casagemas, who had taken his own life earlier that year, deeply influenced his work.
Following Casagemas’ death, Picasso took over his friend’s rooms in Paris and turned them into his studio.
During this time, his paintings became darker, reflecting themes of grief, loneliness, and poverty.
The transition is evident in Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto, where Picasso’s brushstrokes and choice of colors reflect his evolving style.
The background of the painting even includes a depiction of a funeral, believed to be a reference to Casagemas’ death.
Was It Money, Or Was It Transformation?
This is not the first time conservators have found hidden images beneath Picasso’s paintings.
In 2014, The Blue Room was discovered to have a hidden portrait of a bow-tied man beneath its surface.
In 2018, an analysis of The Crouching Beggar (1902) revealed a landscape beneath the painting, possibly created by another artist.
In 2020, Art Institute of Chicago experts used X-ray scans to uncover a hidden Picasso sketch beneath Still Life (1922).
More recently, in 2023, researchers at the Guggenheim Museum in New York discovered a small dog beneath Picasso’s Le Moulin de la Galette.
These findings confirm that Picasso frequently reworked his canvases, often transforming one composition into another rather than starting from scratch.
His method of layering images demonstrates how his artistic ideas evolved in real time, often leaving traces of past works beneath the final surface.
A New Perspective on Picasso’s Blue Period
This discovery provides fresh insight into Picasso’s Blue Period, which lasted from 1901 to 1904.
During this time, Picasso moved between Paris and Barcelona, creating some of his most emotionally powerful paintings.
The newly revealed portrait suggests he had not yet fully committed to the Blue Period style when he first started painting on this canvas.
Barnaby Wright, deputy head of The Courtauld Gallery, said the painting’s surface had long shown signs of another image beneath.
Now that the hidden portrait has been revealed, experts believe it marks a moment of transition in Picasso’s career.
The Exhibition and What’s Next for Research
Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto is now one of the highlights of the Goya to Impressionism exhibition at Sammlung Oskar Reinhart Am Römerholz Museum.
The exhibition showcases masterpieces from the Oskar Reinhart Collection, which features an extraordinary selection of Old Master paintings and Impressionist works.
The conservation project that led to this discovery was conducted in collaboration with the Oskar Reinhart Collection ‘Am Römerholz.’
Experts are expected to continue analyzing the hidden portrait to learn more about Picasso’s painting techniques and stylistic evolution.
While the woman’s identity may never be confirmed, her presence adds a new layer of depth to Picasso’s early years.
