1934
1934 Secret Letters
2017 SOLD for £ 35M including premium
Picasso is married to Olga and madly in love with Marie-Thérèse. The two lovers do not live together but maintain their passion in daily letters with inflamed phrases. Marie-Thérèse will continue to write to Pablo for many years, even when the artist had left with new muses.
On June 27 in London, Christie's sells Femme écrivant, oil on canvas 81 x 65 cm painted on March 26, 1934 at their nest of love in Boisgeloup, lot 8 estimated £ 25M.
Painted with joyful colors, Femme écrivant is one of the most emotional portraits of Marie-Thérèse. Beyond the beauty of her face and body that triggered the eroticism of the 1932 paintings, beyond also the contemplation of a sweet and sleepy woman who made herself gently admired, this painting expresses the authenticity of their relationship.
Turning her back to the window, Marie-Thérèse is focusing on her writing. Pablo knows that at this moment she thinks only of him. Her unstructured head becomes transparent before the blue of the sky. The eyes have the romantic shape of moon crescents.
Pablo is in full creativity. From the next day 27 of March he begins La Lecture which will be a series of six paintings demonstrating the variety of his styles. Breaking the secret intimacy of the Femme écrivant, Marie-Thérèse is accompanied by another woman.
Picasso knew that Femme écrivant was one of his masterpieces among the many portraits of Marie-Thérèse : he kept it until 1961. Please watch the video shared by Christie's in which the artwork is discussed with sensitivity by Diana Widmaier-Picasso, the granddaughter of Pablo and Marie-Thèrèse, as blond haired as her grandmother.
On June 27 in London, Christie's sells Femme écrivant, oil on canvas 81 x 65 cm painted on March 26, 1934 at their nest of love in Boisgeloup, lot 8 estimated £ 25M.
Painted with joyful colors, Femme écrivant is one of the most emotional portraits of Marie-Thérèse. Beyond the beauty of her face and body that triggered the eroticism of the 1932 paintings, beyond also the contemplation of a sweet and sleepy woman who made herself gently admired, this painting expresses the authenticity of their relationship.
Turning her back to the window, Marie-Thérèse is focusing on her writing. Pablo knows that at this moment she thinks only of him. Her unstructured head becomes transparent before the blue of the sky. The eyes have the romantic shape of moon crescents.
Pablo is in full creativity. From the next day 27 of March he begins La Lecture which will be a series of six paintings demonstrating the variety of his styles. Breaking the secret intimacy of the Femme écrivant, Marie-Thérèse is accompanied by another woman.
Picasso knew that Femme écrivant was one of his masterpieces among the many portraits of Marie-Thérèse : he kept it until 1961. Please watch the video shared by Christie's in which the artwork is discussed with sensitivity by Diana Widmaier-Picasso, the granddaughter of Pablo and Marie-Thèrèse, as blond haired as her grandmother.
1934 Suburbs for Sale
2013 SOLD 40.5 M$ including premium
The house is for Hopper the theme that ensures the continuity of civilization. It symbolizes the past by surviving after the move or death of its residents. The 1929 crisis could only exacerbate his reluctant vision of the modern world.
Hopper is the most famous car user in the history of art. He tirelessly revisits the same places to perform sketches which he then reworks in his workshop in the form of large oil paintings.
Painted in 1934, East Wind over Weehawken, 86 x 128 cm, shows houses viewed from a small crossing of streets in suburban New Jersey. This place should support life but the streets are empty. These houses are promoted to the rank of major characters in the drama and wait for who knows what.
In the foreground, a tall unsightly city lamp divides the picture as if it were the keeper of nothingness. Seeking other marks, we see a sign at the limit of readability announcing For Sale. The moment before or after can reveal life. Two very small spots on far left edge are characters. Or not. Mankind does not matter.
This painting is estimated $ 22M, for sale by Christie 's in New York on December 5.
POST SALE COMMENT
The pessimistic view of civilization expressed by Hopper in the 1930s is still relevant. This outstanding example of his art has been sold for $ 40.5 million including premium.
The image is shared by Wikimedia :
Hopper is the most famous car user in the history of art. He tirelessly revisits the same places to perform sketches which he then reworks in his workshop in the form of large oil paintings.
Painted in 1934, East Wind over Weehawken, 86 x 128 cm, shows houses viewed from a small crossing of streets in suburban New Jersey. This place should support life but the streets are empty. These houses are promoted to the rank of major characters in the drama and wait for who knows what.
In the foreground, a tall unsightly city lamp divides the picture as if it were the keeper of nothingness. Seeking other marks, we see a sign at the limit of readability announcing For Sale. The moment before or after can reveal life. Two very small spots on far left edge are characters. Or not. Mankind does not matter.
This painting is estimated $ 22M, for sale by Christie 's in New York on December 5.
POST SALE COMMENT
The pessimistic view of civilization expressed by Hopper in the 1930s is still relevant. This outstanding example of his art has been sold for $ 40.5 million including premium.
The image is shared by Wikimedia :
1934 The Serial Reader
2015 SOLD for £ 16.4M including premium
Pablo Picasso liked to follow a theme with variations in style. From 27 March to 10 April 1934, six oil paintings show the Reading. The blonde on the left is Marie-Thérèse. A caring and attentive woman is standing behind her.
The style is a continuation of the art of Picasso in an increasing complexity. The first painting, on 27 March 1934, is close to a child's drawing but with flat areas of color that compete with Léger and Matisse. It was sold for $ 21.3M including premium by Sotheby's on May 3, 2011.
On June 24 in London, Sotheby's sells the fourth opus painted on March 30, 81 x 65 cm, lot 22 estimated £ 13M. The juvenile portrait of the reader does not require Cubism to express her studious involvement. The other woman, shared between the desires to help and to let go, is Cubist. The strong parts of the image are enhanced by a working of color with the knife.
The sixth painting, on April 10, offers the latest style of the artist with a priority to the attitude. All realism was replaced by a bizarre symbolism. This painting was sold for $ 18M including premium by Christie's on November 6, 2008.
Picasso's exegetes ask two questions.
Does the book have the same meaning as in the erotic Lecture of 1932 where it covered the sex of the naked dozing woman? In my opinion: no. In the second painting from the series of 1934, made on 28 March, the reader is a child. These tranquil scenes simply express the confidence of the artist in the intellectual learning of his muse.
Who is the woman? The subtitle of the sixth painting, Marie-Thérèse et sa soeur lisant, provides a key that does not close the issue because Marie-Thérèse had two sisters!
I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
The style is a continuation of the art of Picasso in an increasing complexity. The first painting, on 27 March 1934, is close to a child's drawing but with flat areas of color that compete with Léger and Matisse. It was sold for $ 21.3M including premium by Sotheby's on May 3, 2011.
On June 24 in London, Sotheby's sells the fourth opus painted on March 30, 81 x 65 cm, lot 22 estimated £ 13M. The juvenile portrait of the reader does not require Cubism to express her studious involvement. The other woman, shared between the desires to help and to let go, is Cubist. The strong parts of the image are enhanced by a working of color with the knife.
The sixth painting, on April 10, offers the latest style of the artist with a priority to the attitude. All realism was replaced by a bizarre symbolism. This painting was sold for $ 18M including premium by Christie's on November 6, 2008.
Picasso's exegetes ask two questions.
Does the book have the same meaning as in the erotic Lecture of 1932 where it covered the sex of the naked dozing woman? In my opinion: no. In the second painting from the series of 1934, made on 28 March, the reader is a child. These tranquil scenes simply express the confidence of the artist in the intellectual learning of his muse.
Who is the woman? The subtitle of the sixth painting, Marie-Thérèse et sa soeur lisant, provides a key that does not close the issue because Marie-Thérèse had two sisters!
I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
1934 Before Maya
2011 SOLD 21.3 M$ including premium
The paintings inspired to Picasso in 1932 by Marie-Thérèse Walter are hot. They are masterpieces of sensuous art. But two years later, what happened to these extra-marital affairs of the master?
An oil on canvas, 92 x 73 cm, made on March 27, 1934, provides some answers. It is illustrated in the article shared by Bloomberg.
It shows two women looking at a book or a letter in an atmosphere of mutual trust. One, with a blue sky skin, is Marie-Thérèse. Or so we are told: the unstructured face is not really recognizable. The other, unidentified, may be her sister.
What then does the artist wish to tell with this intimacy that does not relate to him, if not expressing his desire to create a new family? The following year, Pablo left his wife Olga and Marie-Thérèse gave him Maya. In the same period, he began to identify himself with the Minotaur. Times change, and also the artistic themes.
This work could have been confused with a child's drawing, if there had not been this sureness of line and this variety of solid colors. Is it worth the $ 25M expected by Sotheby's? It is the star of the sale of impressionist and modern art, on May 3 in New York.
POST SALE COMMENT
I had not considered this painting as a major work of Picasso. Maybe I was right. Sold $ 21.3 million including premium, it remains below its low estimate.
An oil on canvas, 92 x 73 cm, made on March 27, 1934, provides some answers. It is illustrated in the article shared by Bloomberg.
It shows two women looking at a book or a letter in an atmosphere of mutual trust. One, with a blue sky skin, is Marie-Thérèse. Or so we are told: the unstructured face is not really recognizable. The other, unidentified, may be her sister.
What then does the artist wish to tell with this intimacy that does not relate to him, if not expressing his desire to create a new family? The following year, Pablo left his wife Olga and Marie-Thérèse gave him Maya. In the same period, he began to identify himself with the Minotaur. Times change, and also the artistic themes.
This work could have been confused with a child's drawing, if there had not been this sureness of line and this variety of solid colors. Is it worth the $ 25M expected by Sotheby's? It is the star of the sale of impressionist and modern art, on May 3 in New York.
POST SALE COMMENT
I had not considered this painting as a major work of Picasso. Maybe I was right. Sold $ 21.3 million including premium, it remains below its low estimate.
1934 Grand-Mère with the King
2020 SOLD for £ 9.5M including premium
The era when Bugatti was invincible in the Grand Prix is over. Faced with the Alfa Romeo Tipo B supported by the Italian government, the Types 51 and 54 are not competitive. To stop this decline, Bugatti develops the Type 59. Six cars are built in 1934.
The 59 only wins two Grand Prix : at Spa because the Alfa Romeos had a crash and, more deservingly, in Algeria. The traceability of the Grand Prix Bugattis is based on the engines and not on the chassis, and it is impossible to discriminate between the individual cars their participations in the competitions.
These discouraging results could have been anticipated : the 59 is too heavy, too rigid, not powerful enough, with an outdated gearbox and poor brakes. It will not be replaced : following the success of his high-end sports car, the Type 55, Jean Bugatti gives priority to the roadsters.
In 1935 four 59 were sold to English customers. The car with the No. 5 engine undergoes a long series of modifications at the factory. Accustomed to its presence in their premises, the mechanics affectionately nicknamed it Grand-Mère.
Grand-Mère is now a Bugatti 59 Sports, bodyworked as a two-seaters for competitions on French roads where the Alfa Romeos do not come. Driven by Wimille, it achieves many successes in 1937. Significantly, its new chassis had been numbered like a 57, ultimately erasing the page of the 59s.
A great lover of luxury cars and an outstanding patron of the brand, Léopold III of Belgium acquires this one-off 59 Sports in 1938. Rediscovered in the former royal garage in 1967, it remains authentic in the configuration of its delivery by Bugatti to the king.
Grand-Mère is estimated in excess of £ 10M to be sold by Gooding in London on April 1, lot 10 (postponed to September 5 at Hampton Court, lot 4). Here is the link to the press release. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. Its image at Goodwood in 2012 is shared by Wikimedia with attribution : David Merrett from Daventry, England [CC BY].
The 59 only wins two Grand Prix : at Spa because the Alfa Romeos had a crash and, more deservingly, in Algeria. The traceability of the Grand Prix Bugattis is based on the engines and not on the chassis, and it is impossible to discriminate between the individual cars their participations in the competitions.
These discouraging results could have been anticipated : the 59 is too heavy, too rigid, not powerful enough, with an outdated gearbox and poor brakes. It will not be replaced : following the success of his high-end sports car, the Type 55, Jean Bugatti gives priority to the roadsters.
In 1935 four 59 were sold to English customers. The car with the No. 5 engine undergoes a long series of modifications at the factory. Accustomed to its presence in their premises, the mechanics affectionately nicknamed it Grand-Mère.
Grand-Mère is now a Bugatti 59 Sports, bodyworked as a two-seaters for competitions on French roads where the Alfa Romeos do not come. Driven by Wimille, it achieves many successes in 1937. Significantly, its new chassis had been numbered like a 57, ultimately erasing the page of the 59s.
A great lover of luxury cars and an outstanding patron of the brand, Léopold III of Belgium acquires this one-off 59 Sports in 1938. Rediscovered in the former royal garage in 1967, it remains authentic in the configuration of its delivery by Bugatti to the king.
Grand-Mère is estimated in excess of £ 10M to be sold by Gooding in London on April 1, lot 10 (postponed to September 5 at Hampton Court, lot 4). Here is the link to the press release. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. Its image at Goodwood in 2012 is shared by Wikimedia with attribution : David Merrett from Daventry, England [CC BY].
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1934 Tête de Femme Endormie by Picasso
2020 SOLD for $ 11.2M including premium by Sotheby's
1933-1934 Peonies in Pink and Black
2017 SOLD for € 8.8M including premium
On December 18 in Paris (Hôtel Drouot), Aguttes sells a recently rediscovered still life painted by Sanyu showing a peony plant in a flower pot, lot 12 estimated € 3M.
After the termination of his co-operation with Roché in 1931, Sanyu stops dating his artworks, perhaps because he shall give more attention to his creativity than to trade. The chronology of his art is uneasy to analyze.
This pot of peonies is made in minimalist colors consistent with the Roché period : the black and grays of the calligraphic line and the pink of the nudes. The staging of this plant with sharp lines is both effective and strange, like a colored negative succeeding his previous positive compositions on a light background. Leaves lined and ribbed with white are transparent in front of the black background like the skeletal leaves of a memento mori.
Two other elements converge to date this still life on the early 1930s although a slightly later date is also possible.
The oil 92 x 74 cm is painted on canvas. After the war Sanyu will prefer to work on masonite panels. It is visible in the undated photo of an exhibition wall, possibly from events organized in Amsterdam in 1933 and 1934 by a group of friends of the artist around the musician Johan Franco.
Please watch the video shared by Aguttes.
After the termination of his co-operation with Roché in 1931, Sanyu stops dating his artworks, perhaps because he shall give more attention to his creativity than to trade. The chronology of his art is uneasy to analyze.
This pot of peonies is made in minimalist colors consistent with the Roché period : the black and grays of the calligraphic line and the pink of the nudes. The staging of this plant with sharp lines is both effective and strange, like a colored negative succeeding his previous positive compositions on a light background. Leaves lined and ribbed with white are transparent in front of the black background like the skeletal leaves of a memento mori.
Two other elements converge to date this still life on the early 1930s although a slightly later date is also possible.
The oil 92 x 74 cm is painted on canvas. After the war Sanyu will prefer to work on masonite panels. It is visible in the undated photo of an exhibition wall, possibly from events organized in Amsterdam in 1933 and 1934 by a group of friends of the artist around the musician Johan Franco.
Please watch the video shared by Aguttes.
1934 Black and White with Double Lines by Mondrian
2009 SOLD for $ 9.3M including premium by Sotheby's
Link to catalogue.
1934 Colors against Social Tension
2018 SOLD for $ 7.3M including premium
At the end of 1933 the Spanish Republican government lost the legislative elections, won by a coalition of small right-wing parties. In the same year Hitler came to power legally in Germany. Against the threat of a fascist dictatorship in Spain, the left and the unions are preparing the revolution.
Miro will later observe that at that time the discomfort created by social events was more physical than conscious. The antidote for the artist is the use of colors.
Indeed his style and technique changed in 1934. He worked more with gouache or pastel on paper, to better highlight the brightest colors than on canvas. He put aside his ethereal poetic vision to recreate a surrealist universe adapted to the anguish of social tensions. Used for pastels, velours paper also brings a tactile effect.
Miro liked to express his art in series, such as the 18 Peintures made from collages in the previous year. At the end of the summer 1934 he designs a series of 15 pastels on velours paper of large size, which he will date October 1934. These pastels display deformed humans in childish style in front of glaucous backgrounds. The arms are often atrophied to mark the unconscious impotence of the angry people in the face of the social crisis.
On November 12 in New York, Sotheby's sells Figure, pastel 108 x 73 cm estimated $ 7M, lot 33. Please watch the video shared by the auction house, in which this series is rightly discussed as a premonition of the Spanish Civil War.
Miro will later observe that at that time the discomfort created by social events was more physical than conscious. The antidote for the artist is the use of colors.
Indeed his style and technique changed in 1934. He worked more with gouache or pastel on paper, to better highlight the brightest colors than on canvas. He put aside his ethereal poetic vision to recreate a surrealist universe adapted to the anguish of social tensions. Used for pastels, velours paper also brings a tactile effect.
Miro liked to express his art in series, such as the 18 Peintures made from collages in the previous year. At the end of the summer 1934 he designs a series of 15 pastels on velours paper of large size, which he will date October 1934. These pastels display deformed humans in childish style in front of glaucous backgrounds. The arms are often atrophied to mark the unconscious impotence of the angry people in the face of the social crisis.
On November 12 in New York, Sotheby's sells Figure, pastel 108 x 73 cm estimated $ 7M, lot 33. Please watch the video shared by the auction house, in which this series is rightly discussed as a premonition of the Spanish Civil War.
1934 Feininger's Violin charmed the City
2010 SOLD 7.3 M$ including premium
Lyonel Feininger, engaged in the major artistic movements of his time, spent many years in Germany. In this country he painted Der Rote Geiger (The Red Fiddler) that Sotheby's sells in New York on May 5.
He had been a caricaturist before being an artist. His giant violinist, whose realistic profile fits the cubist buildings of the city to dominate them, might seem like a trick of illustrator, but there is one annoying detail: the smile of the musician is too ecstatic.
Here's why. This work was painted in 1934, the year when political power is persecuting the "degenerate" artists related to the Bauhaus, where Feininger was a professor. The artist, also a violinist, tries to persuade himself that music can still help the threatened peace. This cheerful art is hiding a nightmare.
This oil on canvas, 100 x 81 cm, is estimated $ 5 million.
POST SALE COMMENT
This work important but a little too late got a very good price: $ 7.3 million including premium. This was not a foregone conclusion.
He had been a caricaturist before being an artist. His giant violinist, whose realistic profile fits the cubist buildings of the city to dominate them, might seem like a trick of illustrator, but there is one annoying detail: the smile of the musician is too ecstatic.
Here's why. This work was painted in 1934, the year when political power is persecuting the "degenerate" artists related to the Bauhaus, where Feininger was a professor. The artist, also a violinist, tries to persuade himself that music can still help the threatened peace. This cheerful art is hiding a nightmare.
This oil on canvas, 100 x 81 cm, is estimated $ 5 million.
POST SALE COMMENT
This work important but a little too late got a very good price: $ 7.3 million including premium. This was not a foregone conclusion.
1934 Single Seaters by Alfa Romeo
2017 SOLD for € 3.9M including premium
The prestige of car competitions increased considerably in the mid-1920s. The Grand Prix racing was dominated by the Alfa Romeo P2 and the Bugatti Type 35. For safety reasons it was however not until the very early 1930s that the driver remained single on board, without an assistant.
Alfa Romeo designs a monoposto based on the characteristics of the P2. Constructed in 4 units in 1931, the Tipo A is an immediate failure. It is immediately superseded by the Tipo B P3 which dominates during the season 1932 with its 5 cars built. In 1934 the modifications of the rules of the Grand Prix invite to heavier cars, changing the limit from 700 to 750 Kg. The second series of 7 units of Tipo B P3 is characterized by an increased width and a 2.9 liter engine.
It is also the time of the Great Depression. Alfa Romeo was put under receivership in 1933 by the Italian government which is reluctant to spend money for competitions. The Scuderia Ferrari company then becomes an essential partner of Alfa Romeo, of which it will remain a subsidiary until 1940.
It is not possible to find today a Grand Prix Alfa Romeo in full original condition. The traceability of the gradual installation of more efficient equipment on these cars is poorly documented. The identification of the chassis was not recorded by the administrations of the Grand Prix and in spite of the very limited number of Grand Prix cars it is impossible to identify which specific chassis had participated in which competition.
The car for sale by RM Sotheby's in Paris on February 8 is the penultimate Tipo B P3 of the 1934 group. It was registered as number 46 by the Scuderia Ferrari during the seasons 1934 and 1935.
The bodywork, narrowed in 1932 style by one of its owners, was rebuilt in its correct 1934 configuration by another one a few years later. The engine was changed but the lot for sale includes beside the car a ancient 3.2-liter engine that had previously been fitted to this chassis. The authenticity of this car can hardly be surpassed by another example of its category. It is estimated € 3.8M, lot 161.
Alfa Romeo designs a monoposto based on the characteristics of the P2. Constructed in 4 units in 1931, the Tipo A is an immediate failure. It is immediately superseded by the Tipo B P3 which dominates during the season 1932 with its 5 cars built. In 1934 the modifications of the rules of the Grand Prix invite to heavier cars, changing the limit from 700 to 750 Kg. The second series of 7 units of Tipo B P3 is characterized by an increased width and a 2.9 liter engine.
It is also the time of the Great Depression. Alfa Romeo was put under receivership in 1933 by the Italian government which is reluctant to spend money for competitions. The Scuderia Ferrari company then becomes an essential partner of Alfa Romeo, of which it will remain a subsidiary until 1940.
It is not possible to find today a Grand Prix Alfa Romeo in full original condition. The traceability of the gradual installation of more efficient equipment on these cars is poorly documented. The identification of the chassis was not recorded by the administrations of the Grand Prix and in spite of the very limited number of Grand Prix cars it is impossible to identify which specific chassis had participated in which competition.
The car for sale by RM Sotheby's in Paris on February 8 is the penultimate Tipo B P3 of the 1934 group. It was registered as number 46 by the Scuderia Ferrari during the seasons 1934 and 1935.
The bodywork, narrowed in 1932 style by one of its owners, was rebuilt in its correct 1934 configuration by another one a few years later. The engine was changed but the lot for sale includes beside the car a ancient 3.2-liter engine that had previously been fitted to this chassis. The authenticity of this car can hardly be surpassed by another example of its category. It is estimated € 3.8M, lot 161.
1934 A German in Bali
2013 SOLD 31.5 MHK$ including premium
Walter Spies was a musician and a painter, and met Kokoschka and Dix. Attracted by the music of Java, he definitely left Europe in 1923 at the age of 28 and moved to Bali in 1927.
Enamored of freedom, he shows the immense lush of nature in which man is small but manages to shape the landscape with his huts and clearings.
On October 5 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells Blick von der Höhe ('top view'), oil on canvas 100 x 81 cm painted in 1934. It is illustrated in the press release shared by ArtDaily.
The thickness of the vegetation breaks the perspective. A man sits in the foreground, wearing a large native hat. The piercing light illuminates the subject of his peaceful contemplation, rice field and village, in an almost symmetrical composition separated by a tall tree.
Spies's paintings are rare on the market because his life was too short. The Dutch authorities did not like the inner circle of this German citizen and persecuted him from 1938. He died in 1942 when the Dutch ship that transferred him to Ceylon was sunk by a Japanese aircraft.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate was not published. The result, HK$ 31.5 million including premium, brings Walter Spies into the list of outstanding artists.
Enamored of freedom, he shows the immense lush of nature in which man is small but manages to shape the landscape with his huts and clearings.
On October 5 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells Blick von der Höhe ('top view'), oil on canvas 100 x 81 cm painted in 1934. It is illustrated in the press release shared by ArtDaily.
The thickness of the vegetation breaks the perspective. A man sits in the foreground, wearing a large native hat. The piercing light illuminates the subject of his peaceful contemplation, rice field and village, in an almost symmetrical composition separated by a tall tree.
Spies's paintings are rare on the market because his life was too short. The Dutch authorities did not like the inner circle of this German citizen and persecuted him from 1938. He died in 1942 when the Dutch ship that transferred him to Ceylon was sunk by a Japanese aircraft.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate was not published. The result, HK$ 31.5 million including premium, brings Walter Spies into the list of outstanding artists.
