1931
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Picasso 1907-1931 Central and South Americas Sanyu Bouquet Cats Cars II Cars 1930s Cars 1930-33 Duesenberg Bugatti
See also : Picasso 1907-1931 Central and South Americas Sanyu Bouquet Cats Cars II Cars 1930s Cars 1930-33 Duesenberg Bugatti
1931 PICASSO
1
La Lampe
2018 SOLD for $ 30M by Christie's
Matisse had his muses whom he liked to dress as odalisques, with the approval of his family. Picasso cannot do less, but he must take Olga's jealousy into account. It is certainly no coincidence that he sorts in a Paris street a blonde girl whose purity of facial lines matches his own canon of beauty.
His new deity is too young, and the year they first met remains controversial. It is however attested that some portraits painted in 1926, with the face mainly in the shade to avoid identification, already represent Marie-Thérèse Walter.
Picasso waits for this beauty to finish blossoming. He cultivates Marie-Thérèse like a potted plant and barely manages to restrain his amorous impulses. She is innocent and believes that her kindness will be enough to keep their relationship going.
In 1930 Picasso buys Boisgeloup to install a sculpture workshop where he will not disturb the neighbors and which he will use as a nest of love for his young muse Marie-Thérèse, away from peeping eyes. Their affair is secret and Pablo does not take the risk that Olga identifies the girl by his painted portraits of her. With cubist sculpture based on the proportions of volumes, realism is not obvious.
While he waited to stabilize his situation, we can imagine the feverishness of the artist. La Lampe, oil on canvas 162 x 130 cm, is dated January 21, 1931 and June 8, 1931. It was sold for $ 30M by Christie's in New York on November 11, lot 22 A.
The theme of the artwork is not the young woman but her bust in white plaster, seen in profile. The stems and leaves of the philodendron create a pattern like a church window which makes even less easy the identification of the model. The oil lamp hanging from an invisible ceiling provides a moon shaped golden light that can be interpreted as the model's ponytail.
In the months that follow, Picasso is emboldened. On March 8, 1932 Marie-Thérèse introduces herself as a nude sleeper amidst the same statue and plant. The profile of the head becomes recognizable. This painting was sold for $ 106M by Christie's in 2010.
The next day, March 9, 1932, Picasso painted the same sleeper in the Nu au Fauteuil Noir. The philodendron, symbol of vitality, is still there. The bust has been removed : it is no longer useful beside the real model. This painting was sold for $ 45M by Christie's in 1999.
His new deity is too young, and the year they first met remains controversial. It is however attested that some portraits painted in 1926, with the face mainly in the shade to avoid identification, already represent Marie-Thérèse Walter.
Picasso waits for this beauty to finish blossoming. He cultivates Marie-Thérèse like a potted plant and barely manages to restrain his amorous impulses. She is innocent and believes that her kindness will be enough to keep their relationship going.
In 1930 Picasso buys Boisgeloup to install a sculpture workshop where he will not disturb the neighbors and which he will use as a nest of love for his young muse Marie-Thérèse, away from peeping eyes. Their affair is secret and Pablo does not take the risk that Olga identifies the girl by his painted portraits of her. With cubist sculpture based on the proportions of volumes, realism is not obvious.
While he waited to stabilize his situation, we can imagine the feverishness of the artist. La Lampe, oil on canvas 162 x 130 cm, is dated January 21, 1931 and June 8, 1931. It was sold for $ 30M by Christie's in New York on November 11, lot 22 A.
The theme of the artwork is not the young woman but her bust in white plaster, seen in profile. The stems and leaves of the philodendron create a pattern like a church window which makes even less easy the identification of the model. The oil lamp hanging from an invisible ceiling provides a moon shaped golden light that can be interpreted as the model's ponytail.
In the months that follow, Picasso is emboldened. On March 8, 1932 Marie-Thérèse introduces herself as a nude sleeper amidst the same statue and plant. The profile of the head becomes recognizable. This painting was sold for $ 106M by Christie's in 2010.
The next day, March 9, 1932, Picasso painted the same sleeper in the Nu au Fauteuil Noir. The philodendron, symbol of vitality, is still there. The bust has been removed : it is no longer useful beside the real model. This painting was sold for $ 45M by Christie's in 1999.
2
Femme Endormie
2020 SOLD for £ 7.3M by Sotheby's
The installation by Picasso in 1930 of a secondary workshop in Boisgeloup is a turning point in his career. He gives priority to the sculpture of busts of Marie-Thérèse, available full time during their secret stays. It is no coincidence that La Lampe, oil on canvas 162 x 130 cm begun at Boisgeloup on January 21, 1931, does not display a woman's head but a sculptural bust.
For Picasso, the 1920s had begun with a return to classicism. He has not forgotten that he is a very good draftsman. On July 28, 2020, Sotheby's sold for £ 7.3M Femme Endormie, charcoal on primed canvas 46 x 61 cm executed on February 4, 1931, lot 14. This rare technique makes it possible to associate with the delicacy of the line the shadows in grisaille enhanced by the texture of the canvas. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This realistic and sensitive work is undoubtedly a study from which Picasso can design the future paintings of his favorite sleeper. It was not exhibited during his lifetime and was included in his estate.
For Picasso, the 1920s had begun with a return to classicism. He has not forgotten that he is a very good draftsman. On July 28, 2020, Sotheby's sold for £ 7.3M Femme Endormie, charcoal on primed canvas 46 x 61 cm executed on February 4, 1931, lot 14. This rare technique makes it possible to associate with the delicacy of the line the shadows in grisaille enhanced by the texture of the canvas. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This realistic and sensitive work is undoubtedly a study from which Picasso can design the future paintings of his favorite sleeper. It was not exhibited during his lifetime and was included in his estate.
1931 SANYU
Intro
Born in a family of wealthy silk industrialists, Sanyu had early skills for black ink and calligraphy. He developed his personal art in Paris at La Grande Chaumière by sketching the nude bodies of the women with a minimalist undulating line that accentuated the erotic invitation.
Beyond his very good understanding of both Asian and Western arts, his approach was highly original : the emotion can come from the balance between the surfaces delimited by the lines. Figurative details, proportions and perspectives are subsidiary. Cézanne was right : art cannot copy nature.
The meeting with the flamboyant collector Henri-Pierre Roché in 1929 is decisive for Sanyu. A friend of Leo and Gertrude Stein, Roché plays a role of discoverer of talents in the avant-garde communities of Montparnasse. He promises Sanyu to buy all his future works. Sanyu experienced also the drypoint engraving under Roché's influence.
Liberated from material constraints, the young Chinese gives free impulse to his creativity. He adds colors according to Roché's recommendation to practice the oil painting. With this technique then new for him, Sanyu explores other artistic possibilities in a three centuries old theme : the bouquet of flowers in a vase.
Oil painting was indeed the best suited technique for his creativity. He will paint directly on the canvas without a sketch, like Chinese calligraphers are doing on paper.
The precision of the line offsets the succinctness. The colors are limited to the extreme. Influenced by the Chinese principle of five inks, he also manages to reduce the contrasts : with a single pigment, the variation in colors is obtained by differences in thickness.
At first the pink color provides the best demonstration of these new theories. It is common to the most beautiful flowers and to the skin of women and its low contrast over the white can achieve great subtlety.
The studies in pink and white are encouraging. Sanyu is then introducing new colors in his pictures of flowers, but always in limited numbers. Non-essential parts of the image are drawn in simplified broad lines. A dark navy blue or a black brings a three-dimensionality.
Beyond his very good understanding of both Asian and Western arts, his approach was highly original : the emotion can come from the balance between the surfaces delimited by the lines. Figurative details, proportions and perspectives are subsidiary. Cézanne was right : art cannot copy nature.
The meeting with the flamboyant collector Henri-Pierre Roché in 1929 is decisive for Sanyu. A friend of Leo and Gertrude Stein, Roché plays a role of discoverer of talents in the avant-garde communities of Montparnasse. He promises Sanyu to buy all his future works. Sanyu experienced also the drypoint engraving under Roché's influence.
Liberated from material constraints, the young Chinese gives free impulse to his creativity. He adds colors according to Roché's recommendation to practice the oil painting. With this technique then new for him, Sanyu explores other artistic possibilities in a three centuries old theme : the bouquet of flowers in a vase.
Oil painting was indeed the best suited technique for his creativity. He will paint directly on the canvas without a sketch, like Chinese calligraphers are doing on paper.
The precision of the line offsets the succinctness. The colors are limited to the extreme. Influenced by the Chinese principle of five inks, he also manages to reduce the contrasts : with a single pigment, the variation in colors is obtained by differences in thickness.
At first the pink color provides the best demonstration of these new theories. It is common to the most beautiful flowers and to the skin of women and its low contrast over the white can achieve great subtlety.
The studies in pink and white are encouraging. Sanyu is then introducing new colors in his pictures of flowers, but always in limited numbers. Non-essential parts of the image are drawn in simplified broad lines. A dark navy blue or a black brings a three-dimensionality.
1
Chrysanthèmes Roses dans un Vase Blanc
2017 SOLD for HK$ 55M by Poly
Chrysanthèmes blanches, oil on canvas 46 x 27 cm painted in 1929, was sold for HK $ 23M by Christie's on December 2, 2020, lot 122. The large flowers and their pot are painted in pure white on a pale pink background. The geometries are simple.
Also painted in 1929, a study of roses in a white pitcher on a white background, oil on canvas 73 x 50 cm, was sold for HK $ 59M by Poly on October 5, 2015.
Chrysanthèmes roses dans un vase blanc, 100 x 70 cm, dated 1931, was sold for HK $ 55M by Poly on April 3, 2017.
Also painted in 1929, a study of roses in a white pitcher on a white background, oil on canvas 73 x 50 cm, was sold for HK $ 59M by Poly on October 5, 2015.
Chrysanthèmes roses dans un vase blanc, 100 x 70 cm, dated 1931, was sold for HK $ 55M by Poly on April 3, 2017.
2
Chrysanthèmes Roses dans une Corbeille
2020 SOLD for HK$ 138M by Christie's
Chrysanthèmes roses dans une corbeille, an oil on canvas 92 x 60 cm painted in 1931 which had not been owned by Roché, was sold for HK $ 138M from a lower estimate of HK $ 68M by Christie's on December 2, 2020, lot 123. The tight bouquet in a basket is framed in the tall handle and displayed over a black background.
3
Bouquet de Marguerites
2017 SOLD for HK$ 51M by Christie's
Once again Sanyu progresses against all the artistic conventions. His colors are now varied but in very little contrasting either in pastel or dark hues. His favorite color remains pink in a similarity between still life and nude that could have led him to the abstract expressionism. The vase is reduced to its outline without color and texture. The chrysanthemum may be replaced by other flowers.
On November 22, 2014, Christie's sold for HK $ 47M a Bouquet de roses dans un vase blanc, oil on canvas 81 x 50 cm dated April 10, 1931. The vase draws attention only by a slight angular tilting. A better visibility on the leaves than on the flowers is in opposition with all the academics.
Deux gros hortensias roses dans un vase blanc, 73 x 50 cm, was sold for € 4.1M by Aguttes on June 1, 2015.
On November 25, 2017, Christie's sold sold for HK $ 51M a Bouquet de marguerites dated January 1931, lot 21.
This oil on canvas 81 x 45 cm is a bold study of asymmetry. The white edges at bottom and right simulate a window that decenters the vase in an optical trick. The flowers are in two groups separated by bare stems. The upper group leaning to the left is counterbalanced by the distribution of the flowers below it. In this composition without perspective the stylized vase is either posed or floating.
On November 22, 2014, Christie's sold for HK $ 47M a Bouquet de roses dans un vase blanc, oil on canvas 81 x 50 cm dated April 10, 1931. The vase draws attention only by a slight angular tilting. A better visibility on the leaves than on the flowers is in opposition with all the academics.
Deux gros hortensias roses dans un vase blanc, 73 x 50 cm, was sold for € 4.1M by Aguttes on June 1, 2015.
On November 25, 2017, Christie's sold sold for HK $ 51M a Bouquet de marguerites dated January 1931, lot 21.
This oil on canvas 81 x 45 cm is a bold study of asymmetry. The white edges at bottom and right simulate a window that decenters the vase in an optical trick. The flowers are in two groups separated by bare stems. The upper group leaning to the left is counterbalanced by the distribution of the flowers below it. In this composition without perspective the stylized vase is either posed or floating.
4
Léopard
2017 SOLD for HK$ 80M by Sotheby's
On September 30, 2017, Sotheby's sold for HK $ 80M as lot 1018 Léopard, an oil on canvas 93 x 116 cm painted in 1931 which had belonged to Roché. Please watch the short video shared by Sotheby's.
The near life size leopard is sketched by the white lines delineating the body and by the circles of the spots in a figure that hardly stands out from a black background interspersed with irregular white stripes.
The four legs and the tail upwards, the wild animal offers its belly in the attitude of a trusting cat requesting a caress. At that time of crisis when financial difficulties arise for Sanyu, this artwork transposes his desire for a cosy well-being. An erotic invitation is also plausible.
Accumulating the originality of the camouflaged line, the large size, the attitude of joy, the joint inspiration from classical China and modern Art Déco and the minimalism of black and white, this nice feline has few equivalents in the art of Sanyu.
The near life size leopard is sketched by the white lines delineating the body and by the circles of the spots in a figure that hardly stands out from a black background interspersed with irregular white stripes.
The four legs and the tail upwards, the wild animal offers its belly in the attitude of a trusting cat requesting a caress. At that time of crisis when financial difficulties arise for Sanyu, this artwork transposes his desire for a cosy well-being. An erotic invitation is also plausible.
Accumulating the originality of the camouflaged line, the large size, the attitude of joy, the joint inspiration from classical China and modern Art Déco and the minimalism of black and white, this nice feline has few equivalents in the art of Sanyu.
1931 The Rivals by Rivera
2022 SOLD for $ 14M by Christie's
The Mexican muralism was born in 1921 from an observation by Vasconcelos : the people are mostly illiterate but the public image can be as suitable as a writing for propagating the fervor of the Revolution. Orozco, Rivera, Siqueiros and Tamayo create a new art adapted to the socialist ideas.
Out of standards in every meaning of that wording, Diego Rivera is uncompromising. His artistic message is communist and anticlerical and he will not change it even under the pressure generated by his provocations.
In New York City, Abby Rockefeller begins in 1925 a collection of modern European art which is not so much supported by her husband but she moves forward. The creation of the Museum of Modern Art in 1929 comes mainly from her personal initiative. She multiplies the actions, including a first solo exhibition which is dedicated to Matisse.
Mexican art shows mostly the people, even if they are confronted with the abuses from the bourgeoisie. Abby, who was also collecting folk art, devotes the second solo exhibition of the MoMA to Rivera in 1931. The thunderous artist had been accused of anti-Soviet activities while working in Moscow and the Mexican Communist Party had fired him. Some recent activities in California showed his interest to the United States.
John D. Rockefeller Jr, Abby's husband, does not see the political trap. In 1933 he commissions some murals for the Rockefeller Center to Rivera. Without warning, Rivera introduces into the picture a portrait of Lenin and categorically refuses to withdraw it despite an attempted negotiation by the young Nelson Rockefeller. The fresco is scrapped but Rivera has achieved his goal of ridiculing the capitalists.
With the invitation of 1931 Abby Rockefeller had commissioned an artwork to Rivera. He completed it during the boat journey to New York. The Rivals, oil on canvas 152 x 127 cm, is about a celebration of patron saints in Oaxaca. The composition is animated at various distances by groups of characters in local clothing, with the shimmering exotic colors that pleased Abby. This picture is in the recent decorative style of Matisse.
The Rivals was given as a wedding present to David and Peggy Rockefeller in 1941. Coming from their deceased estate, it was sold for $ 9.8M by Christie's on May 9, 2018, lot 424. Coming afterward from the Paul G. Allen collection, it was sold for $ 14M by Christie's on November 9, 2022, lot 37.
Out of standards in every meaning of that wording, Diego Rivera is uncompromising. His artistic message is communist and anticlerical and he will not change it even under the pressure generated by his provocations.
In New York City, Abby Rockefeller begins in 1925 a collection of modern European art which is not so much supported by her husband but she moves forward. The creation of the Museum of Modern Art in 1929 comes mainly from her personal initiative. She multiplies the actions, including a first solo exhibition which is dedicated to Matisse.
Mexican art shows mostly the people, even if they are confronted with the abuses from the bourgeoisie. Abby, who was also collecting folk art, devotes the second solo exhibition of the MoMA to Rivera in 1931. The thunderous artist had been accused of anti-Soviet activities while working in Moscow and the Mexican Communist Party had fired him. Some recent activities in California showed his interest to the United States.
John D. Rockefeller Jr, Abby's husband, does not see the political trap. In 1933 he commissions some murals for the Rockefeller Center to Rivera. Without warning, Rivera introduces into the picture a portrait of Lenin and categorically refuses to withdraw it despite an attempted negotiation by the young Nelson Rockefeller. The fresco is scrapped but Rivera has achieved his goal of ridiculing the capitalists.
With the invitation of 1931 Abby Rockefeller had commissioned an artwork to Rivera. He completed it during the boat journey to New York. The Rivals, oil on canvas 152 x 127 cm, is about a celebration of patron saints in Oaxaca. The composition is animated at various distances by groups of characters in local clothing, with the shimmering exotic colors that pleased Abby. This picture is in the recent decorative style of Matisse.
The Rivals was given as a wedding present to David and Peggy Rockefeller in 1941. Coming from their deceased estate, it was sold for $ 9.8M by Christie's on May 9, 2018, lot 424. Coming afterward from the Paul G. Allen collection, it was sold for $ 14M by Christie's on November 9, 2022, lot 37.
1931 Duesenberg Model J LWB
2011 SOLD for $ 10.3M by Gooding
Captain Whittell was an exuberant American who had preserved his immense fortune by selling his shares just a few days before the financial crash of 1929. Such a character would have some Duesenbergs: he owned no less than six model J's.
At that time, customers bought the chassis and selected the body shop. The choice was great, which gives an infinite variety to Duesenberg vehicles.
The high end was the lengthened Model J chassis (long wheelbase). This huge machine 3.90 m long exceeded by 30 cm the standard (short wheelbase) Model J.
Whittell bought a long wheelbase in 1931 and made it equipped as a coupe by the stylist Franklin Hershey. The result is a surprising example of American Art Deco, including a folding roof that makes this car look like a convertible. The general shape is aerodynamic, anticipating the trend of the automotive design of the later 1930s.
It was sold for $ 10.3M on 20/21 August 2011 by Gooding. Totaling less than 20,000 km, it is in perfect working order.
At that time, customers bought the chassis and selected the body shop. The choice was great, which gives an infinite variety to Duesenberg vehicles.
The high end was the lengthened Model J chassis (long wheelbase). This huge machine 3.90 m long exceeded by 30 cm the standard (short wheelbase) Model J.
Whittell bought a long wheelbase in 1931 and made it equipped as a coupe by the stylist Franklin Hershey. The result is a surprising example of American Art Deco, including a folding roof that makes this car look like a convertible. The general shape is aerodynamic, anticipating the trend of the automotive design of the later 1930s.
It was sold for $ 10.3M on 20/21 August 2011 by Gooding. Totaling less than 20,000 km, it is in perfect working order.
1931 New Mexico by O'Keeffe
2018 SOLD for $ 8.4M by Christie's
Georgia O'Keeffe manages to discover the purity in landscapes.
A view of sandy hills near Taos, oil on canvas laid down on board 45 x 61 cm painted in 1929, was sold for $ 2.65M by Christie's on May 9, 2018, lot 406 .
In the same sale the lot 404 is a panoramic view of the mountain range near Abiquiu, oil on canvas 41 x 91 cm painted in 1931. Returning later Georgia is so delighted that she will install permanently in this site. She will say with a great deal of humor : "It's my private mountain, it belongs to me, God told me if I painted it enough, I could have it". It was sold for $ 8.4M from a lower estimate of $ 3M.
A view of sandy hills near Taos, oil on canvas laid down on board 45 x 61 cm painted in 1929, was sold for $ 2.65M by Christie's on May 9, 2018, lot 406 .
In the same sale the lot 404 is a panoramic view of the mountain range near Abiquiu, oil on canvas 41 x 91 cm painted in 1931. Returning later Georgia is so delighted that she will install permanently in this site. She will say with a great deal of humor : "It's my private mountain, it belongs to me, God told me if I painted it enough, I could have it". It was sold for $ 8.4M from a lower estimate of $ 3M.
1931 Bugatti La Royale
1987 SOLD for £ 5.5M (including premium ?) worth US$ 9.8M at that time, by Christie's
At first Bugatti was right : nothing is too expensive for the richest customers. The Type 35 dominates the competitions. The Type 41 "La Royale" will have comparable performances but in monumental dimensions, with a 6 m long chassis.
The prototype demonstrates the feasibility in 1926. Times change. The King of Spain, targeted as the emblematic client, is in difficulty. The economic crisis arises. Bugatti had planned 25 units. Only 6 are produced, each with another body type. The only king who shows interest in La Royale, Zog of Albania, is not accepted by Bugatti.
The business failure of La Royale is obvious. Three cars are sold. Ettore Bugatti's personal car will enter the Schlumpf collection in the 1960s. The other two, chassis 41140 and 41151, are acquired together in 1950 by Briggs Cunningham. Cunningham sells 41151 and keeps 41140 for his museum which closes in 1986.
Built in 1931, 41140 retains its original bodywork by Kellner, a two-door coupe for five passengers. It was sold on November 17, 1987 by Christie's for £ 5.5M, worth $ 9.8M at that time. I guess this figure includes the premium. It passed at Kruse in 1989, far below a reserve price of $ 15M.
The image is shared with attribution : Arnaud 25, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The prototype demonstrates the feasibility in 1926. Times change. The King of Spain, targeted as the emblematic client, is in difficulty. The economic crisis arises. Bugatti had planned 25 units. Only 6 are produced, each with another body type. The only king who shows interest in La Royale, Zog of Albania, is not accepted by Bugatti.
The business failure of La Royale is obvious. Three cars are sold. Ettore Bugatti's personal car will enter the Schlumpf collection in the 1960s. The other two, chassis 41140 and 41151, are acquired together in 1950 by Briggs Cunningham. Cunningham sells 41151 and keeps 41140 for his museum which closes in 1986.
Built in 1931, 41140 retains its original bodywork by Kellner, a two-door coupe for five passengers. It was sold on November 17, 1987 by Christie's for £ 5.5M, worth $ 9.8M at that time. I guess this figure includes the premium. It passed at Kruse in 1989, far below a reserve price of $ 15M.
The image is shared with attribution : Arnaud 25, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
