Marie-Thérèse in 1932
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : The Woman Nude Flowers Bouquet Tabletop Animals Picasso
Chronology : 1930-1939 1932
See also : The Woman Nude Flowers Bouquet Tabletop Animals Picasso
Chronology : 1930-1939 1932
Intro
Picasso is dazzled by the sculptural beauty of the blonde Marie-Thérèse Walter when he meets her by chance on January 8 of a year that has not been identified with certainty. Sweet and docile, she agrees to become his muse. Picasso is married to Olga and his affair with Marie-Thérèse is illegal. Cautiously he waits before portraying his girlfriend in erotic positions.
Marie-Thérèse attains her legal majority on July 13, 1930, thus putting an end to the torment of Tantalus of her passionate lover. Olga has not yet discovered this infidelity. Remaining cautious, Picasso buys the château of Boisgeloup in the same month to install away from Paris his mistress and his second studio. In 1931 he carves oversized plaster busts where he captures the roundnesses of the head and face of Marie-Thérèse.
Marie-Thérèse attains her legal majority on July 13, 1930, thus putting an end to the torment of Tantalus of her passionate lover. Olga has not yet discovered this infidelity. Remaining cautious, Picasso buys the château of Boisgeloup in the same month to install away from Paris his mistress and his second studio. In 1931 he carves oversized plaster busts where he captures the roundnesses of the head and face of Marie-Thérèse.
January 18 Nature Morte à la Fenêtre
2023 SOLD for $ 42M by Christie's
In 1931 at Boisgeloup Picasso was busy as a sculptor, expressing the face shape of his secret muse Marie-Thérèse. Olga, who spent the week-ends with Pablo at Boisgeloup, apparently did not suspect at that time that Boisgeloup housed a rival during the week.
Paintings follow. In a first phase the woman is expressed by the profile of her white sculpture on a plinth. In La Lampe, completed in June 1931, the bust is positioned behind the door of the studio. The profile is still much stylized without detail in the hair.
La Lampe was certainly made in view of the groundbreaking retrospective that will open in June 1932 at Galerie Georges Petit, where it was included. If this is the case, the artist had already conceived at that early stage the evolution of a series into the representation of his muse as a human being and then as an erotic nude with the evidence that Olga will be shocked. La Lampe was sold for $ 29.6M by Christie's on November 11, 2018, lot 22A.
His paintings of December 1931 dared to introduce recognizable features including the blonde hair and the rounded rosy cheeks.
Painted on January 18, 1932, Nature morte à la fenêtre again belongs to the intermediate phase. It features the white oversized bust in full profile with a well defined hair beside a tabletop with leaves of philodendron in a vase and a plate of fruit. The philodendron is a symbol of vitality. The window behind is certainly that of the sculpture studio.
This oil on canvas 130 x 162 cm was one of the 18 works of 1932 exhibited at Georges Petit. It was sold for $ 42M by Christie's on May 11, 2023, lot 42A.
Paintings follow. In a first phase the woman is expressed by the profile of her white sculpture on a plinth. In La Lampe, completed in June 1931, the bust is positioned behind the door of the studio. The profile is still much stylized without detail in the hair.
La Lampe was certainly made in view of the groundbreaking retrospective that will open in June 1932 at Galerie Georges Petit, where it was included. If this is the case, the artist had already conceived at that early stage the evolution of a series into the representation of his muse as a human being and then as an erotic nude with the evidence that Olga will be shocked. La Lampe was sold for $ 29.6M by Christie's on November 11, 2018, lot 22A.
His paintings of December 1931 dared to introduce recognizable features including the blonde hair and the rounded rosy cheeks.
Painted on January 18, 1932, Nature morte à la fenêtre again belongs to the intermediate phase. It features the white oversized bust in full profile with a well defined hair beside a tabletop with leaves of philodendron in a vase and a plate of fruit. The philodendron is a symbol of vitality. The window behind is certainly that of the sculpture studio.
This oil on canvas 130 x 162 cm was one of the 18 works of 1932 exhibited at Georges Petit. It was sold for $ 42M by Christie's on May 11, 2023, lot 42A.
January 24 Le Rêve
1997 SOLD for $ 48M by Christie's
Pablo Picasso was shared between his desire to make portraits of his young muse Marie-Thérèse and his marital impossibility to reveal it to Olga.
In January 1932, willing to display the nude, he is more cautious and comes back to his style of the previous phase where the face cannot be identified. The first full nudes are Le Repos on January 22 and Le Sommeil on January 23.
Le Repos, oil on canvas 162 x 130 cm, was sold for $ 35M by Christie's on May 2, 2006, lot 43.
On January 24, le Rêve opens the phase of increased eroticism with a less disfigured face.
This oil on canvas 130 x 97 cm painted on January 24, 1932, indeed marks the point of no return.
This dressed portrait is one of the very first where the young blonde woman is recognizable. Picasso had chosen her for the voluptuous beauty of her curves. She sleeps peacefully in an armchair, her head bent over her right shoulder. It is however a dream. Picasso uses his signature vision in multiple perspectives but teratology is rarer. Yet here Marie-Thérèse has six fingers on each hand.
For the artist, this dream is also erotic, perhaps ending a long period of frustration when he did not want to be accused of abusing a minor. This painting offers in several places a double reading, quiet and pornographic. Such a mingling is rare : later Pablo will rather tend to associate with pornography a complacently autobiographical bestiality.
Without having significant financial means, Victor and Sally Ganz had an absolute eye. In 1941 Le Rêve was the very first piece in their collection which they were to limit to five artists : Picasso, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella and Eva Hesse.
On November 10, 1997, Christie's sold the Ganz collection. The two top results were Le Rêve, sold for $ 48M, and the ultimate version numbered O of Les Femmes d'Alger sold for $ 32M. The Ganzs had spent about $ 2M on the acquisition of their entire collection.
These two paintings are arguably the two most important artworks by Picasso in private hands. Les Femmes d'Alger was sold for $ 180M by Christie's on May 11, 2015.
In 2001 Steve Wynn bought Le Rêve in private sale, with the aim of making it the emblem of one of his casinos in Las Vegas. He gave up this project in 2006 because of the anti-European xenophobia which was spreading in America at the time of the war against Iraq. He had a client for an announced amount of $ 139M. While preparing this negotiation, his elbow went through the canvas, leaving in Le Rêve a tear 20 cm long.
The painting was repaired and the client, Steven A. Cohen, did not give up. He bought Le Rêve in private sale from Steve Wynn in 2013 for a price announced to the press of $ 155M.
Please read the page dedicated to this work in Wikipedia.
In January 1932, willing to display the nude, he is more cautious and comes back to his style of the previous phase where the face cannot be identified. The first full nudes are Le Repos on January 22 and Le Sommeil on January 23.
Le Repos, oil on canvas 162 x 130 cm, was sold for $ 35M by Christie's on May 2, 2006, lot 43.
On January 24, le Rêve opens the phase of increased eroticism with a less disfigured face.
This oil on canvas 130 x 97 cm painted on January 24, 1932, indeed marks the point of no return.
This dressed portrait is one of the very first where the young blonde woman is recognizable. Picasso had chosen her for the voluptuous beauty of her curves. She sleeps peacefully in an armchair, her head bent over her right shoulder. It is however a dream. Picasso uses his signature vision in multiple perspectives but teratology is rarer. Yet here Marie-Thérèse has six fingers on each hand.
For the artist, this dream is also erotic, perhaps ending a long period of frustration when he did not want to be accused of abusing a minor. This painting offers in several places a double reading, quiet and pornographic. Such a mingling is rare : later Pablo will rather tend to associate with pornography a complacently autobiographical bestiality.
Without having significant financial means, Victor and Sally Ganz had an absolute eye. In 1941 Le Rêve was the very first piece in their collection which they were to limit to five artists : Picasso, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella and Eva Hesse.
On November 10, 1997, Christie's sold the Ganz collection. The two top results were Le Rêve, sold for $ 48M, and the ultimate version numbered O of Les Femmes d'Alger sold for $ 32M. The Ganzs had spent about $ 2M on the acquisition of their entire collection.
These two paintings are arguably the two most important artworks by Picasso in private hands. Les Femmes d'Alger was sold for $ 180M by Christie's on May 11, 2015.
In 2001 Steve Wynn bought Le Rêve in private sale, with the aim of making it the emblem of one of his casinos in Las Vegas. He gave up this project in 2006 because of the anti-European xenophobia which was spreading in America at the time of the war against Iraq. He had a client for an announced amount of $ 139M. While preparing this negotiation, his elbow went through the canvas, leaving in Le Rêve a tear 20 cm long.
The painting was repaired and the client, Steven A. Cohen, did not give up. He bought Le Rêve in private sale from Steve Wynn in 2013 for a price announced to the press of $ 155M.
Please read the page dedicated to this work in Wikipedia.
March 2 Nature Morte aux Tulipes
2012 SOLD for $ 41.5M by Sotheby's
On March 2, Pablo paints an oil on canvas, 130 x 97 cm, entitled Nature morte aux tulipes (Still life with tulips). He remembers that he is a sculptor. The figure of this painting is an indistinguishable mixture of flesh and statue telling us that Picasso is a great Surrealist.
The expressively distorted face retains the features of the blonde and pops up from the head on a pedestal. The woman wears on her lap a vase of flowers along with three fruits that may be her breasts and buttocks. The contrast of light is one of the brightest in the art of Picasso.
Nature morte aux tulipes was sold for $ 28.6M by Christie's on May 9, 2000 and for $ 41.5M by Sotheby's on November 5, 2012.
Here is now what followed, further demonstrating the importance of this lot. Less than one week later, on March 8, Picasso undresses the woman and separates her from the statue. This "Nude, Green Leaves and Bust" is one of the masterpieces by Picasso.
The expressively distorted face retains the features of the blonde and pops up from the head on a pedestal. The woman wears on her lap a vase of flowers along with three fruits that may be her breasts and buttocks. The contrast of light is one of the brightest in the art of Picasso.
Nature morte aux tulipes was sold for $ 28.6M by Christie's on May 9, 2000 and for $ 41.5M by Sotheby's on November 5, 2012.
Here is now what followed, further demonstrating the importance of this lot. Less than one week later, on March 8, Picasso undresses the woman and separates her from the statue. This "Nude, Green Leaves and Bust" is one of the masterpieces by Picasso.
March 8 Nu, Feuilles vertes et Buste
2010 SOLD for $ 106M by Christie's
A masterpiece of Picasso is assessed from afar. The grammar of the master, which so varied over the years, is perfectly recognizable. And yet, the observer has the impression of seeing something new.
On March 8, 1932 this young man of 50 years wants to express the strength of his love for Marie-Thérèse Walter. The result is that Nude, green leaves and bust for sale by Christie's on May 4, 2010. It was sold for $ 106M.
The young woman is glorified twice: despite the stylization typical of the Picassos of that time, the bust looks unmistakably similar as the head of the nude. The young woman sleeps peacefully, lying on her back, offered in the nude before the artist's eyes. The leaves symbolize the force of spring ... and that of the painter, for sure. The bright colors in flat areas increase the perfect legibility of the work. The painting is illustrated in the press release shared by AuctionPublicity
This lot has many qualities. It is large (162 x 130 cm). It was recorded, but was not shown to the public for half a century.
On March 8, 1932 this young man of 50 years wants to express the strength of his love for Marie-Thérèse Walter. The result is that Nude, green leaves and bust for sale by Christie's on May 4, 2010. It was sold for $ 106M.
The young woman is glorified twice: despite the stylization typical of the Picassos of that time, the bust looks unmistakably similar as the head of the nude. The young woman sleeps peacefully, lying on her back, offered in the nude before the artist's eyes. The leaves symbolize the force of spring ... and that of the painter, for sure. The bright colors in flat areas increase the perfect legibility of the work. The painting is illustrated in the press release shared by AuctionPublicity
This lot has many qualities. It is large (162 x 130 cm). It was recorded, but was not shown to the public for half a century.
March 9 Nu au Fauteuil Noir
1999 SOLD for $ 45M by Christie's
Picasso's erotic art reached its climax during the winter of 1932 in his Parisian studio in rue La Boëtie. His model is Marie-Thérèse whom he had not been able to exhibit previously because of her young age. The illegitimate couple did not however make an escape to Boisgeloup during this period.
This series includes about 25 oils on canvas, with the sleeping or reading woman as the main theme. In the first phase, Picasso plays with hiding sexual symbols in the image. Le Rêve is painted on January 24. Nudes make their appearance at the approach of spring in an accelerated rhythm : Nu couché avec feuilles vertes et buste on March 8, Nu au fauteuil noir on March 9, Le Miroir on March 12, Jeune femme au miroir on March 14. La Dormeuse, oil and charcoal on canvas, is inserted in that sequence on March 13.
On March 17, considering that this series was completed, Picasso invites Kahnweiler to his workshop. Two of the nude paintings are present but we do not know which ones. Kahnweiler is dazzled by the audacity of Picasso's new style, where eroticism is accentuated by the shortened curves of the body. He later wrote to Leiris that these erotic figures could have been painted by a satyr who had just killed a woman.
According to Picasso himself, the highlights of his creative quest were the nudes of March 8 and 9, both in the 162 x 130 cm format. The position of the woman is almost identical in the two pictures, with the head completely thrown back. Nu couché avec feuilles vertes et buste is the most complex composition, bringing together several symbols.
Nu au fauteuil noir offers a dramatic contrast between the pink flesh and the black seat. The only other element is a green plant that highlights the symbol of fertility. This oil on canvas was sold for $ 45M by Christie's on November 9, 1999. It is illustrated by Wikipedia on a dedicated page.
This series includes about 25 oils on canvas, with the sleeping or reading woman as the main theme. In the first phase, Picasso plays with hiding sexual symbols in the image. Le Rêve is painted on January 24. Nudes make their appearance at the approach of spring in an accelerated rhythm : Nu couché avec feuilles vertes et buste on March 8, Nu au fauteuil noir on March 9, Le Miroir on March 12, Jeune femme au miroir on March 14. La Dormeuse, oil and charcoal on canvas, is inserted in that sequence on March 13.
On March 17, considering that this series was completed, Picasso invites Kahnweiler to his workshop. Two of the nude paintings are present but we do not know which ones. Kahnweiler is dazzled by the audacity of Picasso's new style, where eroticism is accentuated by the shortened curves of the body. He later wrote to Leiris that these erotic figures could have been painted by a satyr who had just killed a woman.
According to Picasso himself, the highlights of his creative quest were the nudes of March 8 and 9, both in the 162 x 130 cm format. The position of the woman is almost identical in the two pictures, with the head completely thrown back. Nu couché avec feuilles vertes et buste is the most complex composition, bringing together several symbols.
Nu au fauteuil noir offers a dramatic contrast between the pink flesh and the black seat. The only other element is a green plant that highlights the symbol of fertility. This oil on canvas was sold for $ 45M by Christie's on November 9, 1999. It is illustrated by Wikipedia on a dedicated page.
March 13 La Dormeuse
2018 SOLD for £ 42M by Phillips
The role of Marie-Thérèse is easy to perform : Pablo adores her when she sleeps. Le Rêve, famous for its innocent and sexual dual reading, is painted on January 24. This 130 x 97 cm oil on canvas was sold for $ 48M by Christie's on November 10, 1997.
In March Picasso realizes a series of sleeping nudes, from memory in Paris or from live in Boisgeloup. The Nu, Feuilles vertes et Buste painted on March 8, 162 x 130 cm, is emblematic of this series by its finish, with simple lines and pure colors that once again aim to compete with Matisse. It was sold for $ 106M by Christie's on May 4, 2010.
On March 12 Le Miroir, 130 x 97 cm, introduces a new audacity, the reflection allowing to see her body from front and from behind.
On March 13 La Dormeuse, 130 x 162 cm, is the last painting in this series. A synthesis of the images of March 8 and 12, it releases the woman from the useless accessories replaced by a simple area of blue sky. The landscape format allows the life size of this lying nude. The visual torsion of the body ensures the fullness of the desire of the artist who displays side by side the sex and the buttocks.
The Dormeuse was made in oil and charcoal, offering the spontaneity of a drawing. It keeps very visible the repentances of lines, as if the artist had actually observed the breathing of his muse in her sleep. If so, it was painted at Boisgeloup. This work of exceptional intimacy has been lovingly kept by Picasso until his death.
It was sold for £ 42M from an estimated of £ 12M by Phillips on March 8, 2018, lot 10. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
In March Picasso realizes a series of sleeping nudes, from memory in Paris or from live in Boisgeloup. The Nu, Feuilles vertes et Buste painted on March 8, 162 x 130 cm, is emblematic of this series by its finish, with simple lines and pure colors that once again aim to compete with Matisse. It was sold for $ 106M by Christie's on May 4, 2010.
On March 12 Le Miroir, 130 x 97 cm, introduces a new audacity, the reflection allowing to see her body from front and from behind.
On March 13 La Dormeuse, 130 x 162 cm, is the last painting in this series. A synthesis of the images of March 8 and 12, it releases the woman from the useless accessories replaced by a simple area of blue sky. The landscape format allows the life size of this lying nude. The visual torsion of the body ensures the fullness of the desire of the artist who displays side by side the sex and the buttocks.
The Dormeuse was made in oil and charcoal, offering the spontaneity of a drawing. It keeps very visible the repentances of lines, as if the artist had actually observed the breathing of his muse in her sleep. If so, it was painted at Boisgeloup. This work of exceptional intimacy has been lovingly kept by Picasso until his death.
It was sold for £ 42M from an estimated of £ 12M by Phillips on March 8, 2018, lot 10. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
April 1 Buste de femme de profil
2018 SOLD for £ 27.3M by Sotheby's
From January to March 1932 Pablo Picasso took the step. His pictures of Marie-Thérèse on large canvases will be the essential contribution to his upcoming exhibitions, no matter with Olga.
Boisgeloup offers a haven of tranquility to Pablo. Marie-Thérèse is the Lady of his castle, always calm even when she is not sleeping. She becomes increasingly recognizable, especially by her profile.
On June 19, 2018, Sotheby's sold as lot 17 for £ 27.3M Buste de femme de profil, also titled Femme écrivant, painted in Boisgeloup on April 1, 1932. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Of medium size 116 x 73 cm, this oil on canvas offers an intimate scene. The head is limited to its outline and to two small curved lines in the normal place of the eye and the ear, without the distortions that Pablo practiced so often. The big nose, the mouth half-open to concentrate and the rather strong chin are recognizable, and the yellow ponytail confirms the identity of the blonde muse.
Marie-Thérèse is against the light in a superimposition effect with the frame of the closed window. The pleasant colors are dominated by the blue of the sky. The garden brings a green halo.
Boisgeloup offers a haven of tranquility to Pablo. Marie-Thérèse is the Lady of his castle, always calm even when she is not sleeping. She becomes increasingly recognizable, especially by her profile.
On June 19, 2018, Sotheby's sold as lot 17 for £ 27.3M Buste de femme de profil, also titled Femme écrivant, painted in Boisgeloup on April 1, 1932. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Of medium size 116 x 73 cm, this oil on canvas offers an intimate scene. The head is limited to its outline and to two small curved lines in the normal place of the eye and the ear, without the distortions that Pablo practiced so often. The big nose, the mouth half-open to concentrate and the rather strong chin are recognizable, and the yellow ponytail confirms the identity of the blonde muse.
Marie-Thérèse is against the light in a superimposition effect with the frame of the closed window. The pleasant colors are dominated by the blue of the sky. The garden brings a green halo.
April 2 Femme Nue Couchée
2022 SOLD for $ 68M by Sotheby's
Picasso considered as one of his masterpieces his Nu, feuilles vertes et buste executed on March 8, 1932 and its slightly shortened version from the next day, Nu au fauteuil noir. As evidenced also by Le Rêve from six weeks earlier, he aimed to share his previously forbidden sexual excitement for the reclining nude body of Marie-Thérèse.
On April 2 he tries a zoomorphic version inspired by the 1928 short documentary film La Pieuvre by Jean Painlevé. An octopus has indeed in its body and eight arms the flexibility that Pablo would desire from his female partners.
Femme nue couchée has the same overall position as the Nus from March, with the head fully thrown back. The body, neck and limbs are now represented as six pointed legs in the style of an octopus while the pair of breasts are placed like the two mesmerizing eyes of that animal.
This oil and Ripolin 130 x 162 cm makes the female body oversized compared with the March 8 nude but is still smaller than the most giant octopus. The animal is reputed for its intelligence, which is definitely not the impression that Picasso would forward with his carefree sleeping Marie-Thérèses. The surrounding is like a carpet on a beach with the sea behind, reminding the happy holidays at Dinard.
This daring picture was not included in the June-July 1932 groundbreaking solo exhibition at Georges Petit in 1932. It was first publicly illustrated in 1936.
It was sold for $ 68M by Sotheby's on May 18, 2022, lot 23. Please watch the short video shared by the auction house.
On April 2 he tries a zoomorphic version inspired by the 1928 short documentary film La Pieuvre by Jean Painlevé. An octopus has indeed in its body and eight arms the flexibility that Pablo would desire from his female partners.
Femme nue couchée has the same overall position as the Nus from March, with the head fully thrown back. The body, neck and limbs are now represented as six pointed legs in the style of an octopus while the pair of breasts are placed like the two mesmerizing eyes of that animal.
This oil and Ripolin 130 x 162 cm makes the female body oversized compared with the March 8 nude but is still smaller than the most giant octopus. The animal is reputed for its intelligence, which is definitely not the impression that Picasso would forward with his carefree sleeping Marie-Thérèses. The surrounding is like a carpet on a beach with the sea behind, reminding the happy holidays at Dinard.
This daring picture was not included in the June-July 1932 groundbreaking solo exhibition at Georges Petit in 1932. It was first publicly illustrated in 1936.
It was sold for $ 68M by Sotheby's on May 18, 2022, lot 23. Please watch the short video shared by the auction house.
after July Le Repos
2018 SOLD for $ 37M by Sotheby's
In early 1932, when Pablo Picasso painted his muse Marie-Thérèse in various situations and positions, he still more or less applied the deformation of faces and bodies that characterized his style from the 1920s.
In June and July a large retrospective exhibition at the Galerie Georges Petit marks an important turning point in Picasso's life. Now Olga has no doubt : her husband has a mistress. The consequence is unexpected : henceforth he has no reason to hide the true face of Marie-Thérèse Walter.
On May 14, 2018, Sotheby's sold for $ 37M Le Repos, oil on canvas 46 x 46 cm dated 1932, lot 8. It had been estimated $ 25M. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
Once again Marie-Thérèse sleeps. It is not a coincidence. According to the artist a peaceful sleep exudes innocence and exacerbates the physical beauty. The line of the profile is stylized but realistic, and the hair is blond. The day date was not written by Picasso but this artwork was probably created during the second half of the year.
The portrait is focused on the head in close-up, placed behind the crossed hands. The mouth is slightly opened for a gentle breath. Picasso offers on this image a harmony of colors centered on the lilac skin. The passion of the artist enables him in 1932 to create almost life-like portraits.
In June and July a large retrospective exhibition at the Galerie Georges Petit marks an important turning point in Picasso's life. Now Olga has no doubt : her husband has a mistress. The consequence is unexpected : henceforth he has no reason to hide the true face of Marie-Thérèse Walter.
On May 14, 2018, Sotheby's sold for $ 37M Le Repos, oil on canvas 46 x 46 cm dated 1932, lot 8. It had been estimated $ 25M. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
Once again Marie-Thérèse sleeps. It is not a coincidence. According to the artist a peaceful sleep exudes innocence and exacerbates the physical beauty. The line of the profile is stylized but realistic, and the hair is blond. The day date was not written by Picasso but this artwork was probably created during the second half of the year.
The portrait is focused on the head in close-up, placed behind the crossed hands. The mouth is slightly opened for a gentle breath. Picasso offers on this image a harmony of colors centered on the lilac skin. The passion of the artist enables him in 1932 to create almost life-like portraits.
October 30 Femme assise près d'une fenêtre
2021 SOLD for $ 103M by Christie's
Throughout the year 1932, Picasso furiously painted his beloved muse Marie-Thérèse in many attitudes. His iconography of the new goddess is huge, but all pictures display the great control of his hand for drawing the curves.
The previous year had been devoted to plaster busts. As Modigliani before him, Picasso changed in his painting the reality of the forms after observing his own statues.
Femme assise près d'une fenêtre, oil on canvas 146 x 114 cm painted on October 30 at Boisgeloup, was sold for £ 28.6M by Sotheby's on February 5, 2013. and for $ 103M by Christie's on May 13, 2021, lot 15 B. The April 6, 2021 press release announced an estimate in the region of $ 55M.
The young woman is seen in full profile, gently seated in an armchair by the window. Despite the stylized lines, her presence is felt with intensity. These sinuous lines are also framing the areas of flat colors, in the follow of Matisse and Léger. The eyebrow and the eye went down on the cheek and the face went forward like a protruding lunar mask. The shawl on the shoulder is shaped as a Nike's wing.
The previous year had been devoted to plaster busts. As Modigliani before him, Picasso changed in his painting the reality of the forms after observing his own statues.
Femme assise près d'une fenêtre, oil on canvas 146 x 114 cm painted on October 30 at Boisgeloup, was sold for £ 28.6M by Sotheby's on February 5, 2013. and for $ 103M by Christie's on May 13, 2021, lot 15 B. The April 6, 2021 press release announced an estimate in the region of $ 55M.
The young woman is seen in full profile, gently seated in an armchair by the window. Despite the stylized lines, her presence is felt with intensity. These sinuous lines are also framing the areas of flat colors, in the follow of Matisse and Léger. The eyebrow and the eye went down on the cheek and the face went forward like a protruding lunar mask. The shawl on the shoulder is shaped as a Nike's wing.
