This piece was created from one of the five original busts in Picasso's Sylvette series, which were inspired by Sylvette David, whom Picasso met in 1954. Norwegian sculptor Carl Nesjar created this enlarged, 67-ton sculpture using a Betograve sand-blasting technique. It is the only outdoor Picasso artwork in New York City.
This sculpture is one of two such concrete structures by Nesjar (the other is located in Rotterdam, Holland). It is based on a folded-metal original made by Picasso in 1954. Sylvette modeled for this work at age 19; this is one of over 40 portraits Picasso made of her in his studio in Vallauris in the south of France.
The statue is located in the Silver Towers Complex, created by I. M. Pei in 1966. In 2008, the space was designated as a historic landmark.
