In 1893 Ambroise Vollard opened an art gallery on Rue Laffitte featuring the works of the most important artists of the time, such as Degas, Renoir, and Cézanne, and also Picasso, whose work he began acquiring regularly from that point onward. With the objective of concluding the series Vollard had commissioned, Picasso began to portray him. However, the art dealer’s death in an automotive accident in 1939 interrupted the project. Picasso managed to etch only four portraits, three of which were included along with 97 other plates within the edition of the Suite Vollard, which ultimately included 100 copper etchings made by the artist between 1930 and 1937.

The printer Roger Lacourière finished printing 230 complete sets in 1939, but Vollard’s death and the outbreak of the Second World War prevented their distribution on the art market until 1950.