Picasso modelled the piece on lover Dora Maar during World War II, making the original from plaster in his Paris studio.

One copy of the sculpture was donated in 1959 to a memorial for Guillaume Apollinaire, a friend of Picasso who died in 1918, and can be found on his grave behind the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

Jan Krugier, a dealer from Geneva, acquired the sculpture for an unidentified party from Marina Picasso and displayed it in December 2006 at Art Basel Miami Beach.

[1] The Impressionist and Modern Art auction was held on 7 November 2007 featuring works by Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Egon Schiele, and a second piece by Picasso.

[1] While La Lampe failed to sell when it was unable to reach the low estimate of £25 million, Tete de femme (Dora Maar) was sold for a record price.