Orientalism
See also : Top 10 Painting 18th century painting Ancient French painting Spain Picasso Picasso from 1940 Holland Russia Kandinsky Louis XVIII to 2nd Empire Matisse George I-III Oceania Groups Man and woman Self portrait II Nude Horse Cats
Chronology : 1770-1779 1830-1839 1850-1859 1880-1889 20th century 1900-1909 1907 1909 1928 1937 1950-1959 1955
Gauguin not included here but in Oceania
Chronology : 1770-1779 1830-1839 1850-1859 1880-1889 20th century 1900-1909 1907 1909 1928 1937 1950-1959 1955
Gauguin not included here but in Oceania
1776 Portrait of Omai by Joshua Reynolds
2001 SOLD 10.3 M£ including premium by Sotheby's
Shared by Wikimedia :
1776 Exotic Tygers
2014 SOLD 7.7 M£ including premium
Famous for his paintings of horses with or without riders, George Stubbs was primarily an anatomist in the great period of curiosity of the mid-eighteenth century. He published in 1766 The Anatomy of the Horse, illustrated with drawings.
Images of horses were welcomed by the English aristocracy. Stubbs was a gifted painter. He was the only artist capable of applying the theme of the animal as a specialty of major art.
In London, menageries are in the trend. Visitors dream of the distant lands from where the wild beasts have come. As early as 1762 Stubbs painted a lion attacking a horse. Lions and those other big cats designated at that time under the generic term of tygers soon occupy the top place in his art.
On July 9 in London, Sotheby's sells Tygers at play, oil on canvas 102 x 127 cm estimated £ 4M.
Two leopard kittens play with great vivacity in an imaginary exotic landscape certainly inspired by the passion of the contemporaries for Cook's discoveries. These friendly animals respond positively to the postulate of Rousseau on natural goodness at birth.
This undated painting was exhibited for the first time in 1776. Carefully preserved with discretion for almost two centuries by a British aristocratic family, it remains in a very exciting condition.
POST SALE COMMENT
This great example of animal orientalism was sold for £ 7.7M including premium.
I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's:
Images of horses were welcomed by the English aristocracy. Stubbs was a gifted painter. He was the only artist capable of applying the theme of the animal as a specialty of major art.
In London, menageries are in the trend. Visitors dream of the distant lands from where the wild beasts have come. As early as 1762 Stubbs painted a lion attacking a horse. Lions and those other big cats designated at that time under the generic term of tygers soon occupy the top place in his art.
On July 9 in London, Sotheby's sells Tygers at play, oil on canvas 102 x 127 cm estimated £ 4M.
Two leopard kittens play with great vivacity in an imaginary exotic landscape certainly inspired by the passion of the contemporaries for Cook's discoveries. These friendly animals respond positively to the postulate of Rousseau on natural goodness at birth.
This undated painting was exhibited for the first time in 1776. Carefully preserved with discretion for almost two centuries by a British aristocratic family, it remains in a very exciting condition.
POST SALE COMMENT
This great example of animal orientalism was sold for £ 7.7M including premium.
I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's:
1833-1834 Choc de Cavaliers Arabes by Delacroix
1998 SOLD for FF 46.5M before fees by Piasa
1855 A Dangerous Javanese Game
2018 SOLD for € 9M including premium
Nephew of a local prefect on the island of Java which was then part of the Dutch East Indies, Raden Saleh had early skills for the graphic arts. He left in 1829 to study art in Holland. His first Western paintings are portraits. After meeting a lion tamer, he executes hunting scenes whose exoticism is well suited to the curiosity of the period.
The action of a great violence involves ferocious beasts, together or confronted with hunters on horseback. His bestiary is too varied to be relying from personal Javanese memories : lions, tigers, deer, buffalo, boar.
The composition seems directly inspired by the hunting scenes painted by Rubens around 1620, with a swirling and vividly colored center in which the protagonists are intertwined up to the limit of readability. Men and animals express exacerbated feelings of panic and horror.
When he is in France, Raden Saleh is in touch with Horace Vernet but his more flexible lines are inspired by the Dutch landscape learned from Schelfhout. The similarity of his ardor with Delacroix's romantic orientalism is obvious, but the hunts by Raden Saleh were conceived long before the 1854 commission to Delacroix by the Beaux-Arts for a lion hunt.
Raden Saleh returned to Java in 1852, bringing with him the notoriety he acquired in Europe. Like Rubens, he is using very large formats. Like what tradition said of Rubens, he also likes to include his self-portrait in full activity among the hunters.
An oil on canvas 110 x 180 cm dated 1855 titled La Chasse au taureau sauvage Banteng (Banteng wild bull hunting) has just surfaced in Brittany, in a basement where the owners had hidden it for several decades because they were uncomfortable with its violence. Minor misses are reported. It is estimated € 150K for sale by Ruellan in Vannes on January 27, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by Interencheres.
The action of a great violence involves ferocious beasts, together or confronted with hunters on horseback. His bestiary is too varied to be relying from personal Javanese memories : lions, tigers, deer, buffalo, boar.
The composition seems directly inspired by the hunting scenes painted by Rubens around 1620, with a swirling and vividly colored center in which the protagonists are intertwined up to the limit of readability. Men and animals express exacerbated feelings of panic and horror.
When he is in France, Raden Saleh is in touch with Horace Vernet but his more flexible lines are inspired by the Dutch landscape learned from Schelfhout. The similarity of his ardor with Delacroix's romantic orientalism is obvious, but the hunts by Raden Saleh were conceived long before the 1854 commission to Delacroix by the Beaux-Arts for a lion hunt.
Raden Saleh returned to Java in 1852, bringing with him the notoriety he acquired in Europe. Like Rubens, he is using very large formats. Like what tradition said of Rubens, he also likes to include his self-portrait in full activity among the hunters.
An oil on canvas 110 x 180 cm dated 1855 titled La Chasse au taureau sauvage Banteng (Banteng wild bull hunting) has just surfaced in Brittany, in a basement where the owners had hidden it for several decades because they were uncomfortable with its violence. Minor misses are reported. It is estimated € 150K for sale by Ruellan in Vannes on January 27, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by Interencheres.
Retrouvez nous le 27 janvier 2018 pour la vente à Vannes de « La Chasse au taureau sauvage » de Raden Saleh datée et signée de 1855. #artist #Inde #chasse #Tigre #Taureau #auction #SaveTheDate https://t.co/4OqgLXxsMi pic.twitter.com/Eabe5zvVRO
— RUELLAN (@jpruellan) December 13, 2017
1883 Antony and Cleopatra by Lawrence Alma Tadema
2011 SOLD 29 M$ including premium by Sotheby's
Shared on Wikimedia :
1904 The Antique Nile of Alma-Tadema
2010 SOLD 35.9 M$ including premium
No painter is more typical of Victorian and Edwardian art than Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. We are therefore surprised to know that this artist, in fact, was of Dutch origin.
He followed a theme that appealed to the public of his time: the exotic antiques. He was amazed by the collections of the British Museum, and featured his characters amidst monuments for which he relied on photographs. He particularly liked the marble seats in which he showed languid ladies.
Strong personality, he had managed his career and became wealthy and famous. His name was Laurens Alma Tadema, which he adapted to be better positioned in alphabetical lists. He gave an opus number to each of his paintings, creating himself a record that protected his work against counterfeits.
He would not adapt to the trends of modern art, and was forgotten for more than half a century after his death.
Opus CCCLXXVII is best known in the art market, having been sold $ 2.7 million including premium at Christie's on May 25, 1995. This is a commissioned work for the benefit of the engineer who had invited him in 1902 at the opening of the Aswan Dam.
Completed in 1904, this large oil on canvas, 137 x 213 cm, shows a scene from the finding of Moses on the Nile. Pharaoh's daughter is surrounded by an opulent procession of servants and slaves. From the top of her carriage, she fondly looks at the baby in his basket, carried by two women.
This lot is again for sale, estimated $ 3M, by Sotheby's in New York on November 4.
POST SALE COMMENT
Two very high results were recorded in this sale of Belle Epoque art. The painting of Alma-Tadema, subject of this article, was sold for $ 35.9 million including premium. A woman's portrait painted in 1892 by Boldini, 201 x 101 cm, was sold for $ 6.5 million including premium on an estimate of $ 1M.
Analyses will certainly be made to understand this shift in the market for a period that seemed difficult to sell. We can already say with certainty that some artworks will reappear on the market. Expect Gérôme, Béraud, Bouguereau, ...
The image is shared post sale by Artdaily.
Shared on Wikimedia :
He followed a theme that appealed to the public of his time: the exotic antiques. He was amazed by the collections of the British Museum, and featured his characters amidst monuments for which he relied on photographs. He particularly liked the marble seats in which he showed languid ladies.
Strong personality, he had managed his career and became wealthy and famous. His name was Laurens Alma Tadema, which he adapted to be better positioned in alphabetical lists. He gave an opus number to each of his paintings, creating himself a record that protected his work against counterfeits.
He would not adapt to the trends of modern art, and was forgotten for more than half a century after his death.
Opus CCCLXXVII is best known in the art market, having been sold $ 2.7 million including premium at Christie's on May 25, 1995. This is a commissioned work for the benefit of the engineer who had invited him in 1902 at the opening of the Aswan Dam.
Completed in 1904, this large oil on canvas, 137 x 213 cm, shows a scene from the finding of Moses on the Nile. Pharaoh's daughter is surrounded by an opulent procession of servants and slaves. From the top of her carriage, she fondly looks at the baby in his basket, carried by two women.
This lot is again for sale, estimated $ 3M, by Sotheby's in New York on November 4.
POST SALE COMMENT
Two very high results were recorded in this sale of Belle Epoque art. The painting of Alma-Tadema, subject of this article, was sold for $ 35.9 million including premium. A woman's portrait painted in 1892 by Boldini, 201 x 101 cm, was sold for $ 6.5 million including premium on an estimate of $ 1M.
Analyses will certainly be made to understand this shift in the market for a period that seemed difficult to sell. We can already say with certainty that some artworks will reappear on the market. Expect Gérôme, Béraud, Bouguereau, ...
The image is shared post sale by Artdaily.
Shared on Wikimedia :
1907 La Corne d'Or, Constantinople by Paul Signac
2012 SOLD for £ 8.8M including premium by Christie's
Link to catalogue.
1907 Signac in Constantinople
2012 SOLD 6.2 M£ including premium
Around 1900, Paul Signac reuses pointillist techniques, but his style has changed, becoming more emotional. Socially engaged, he is naturally influenced by all modern trends but his art is profoundly original.
Landscape painter attracted by the sea, he was interested in maritime cities, including Venice in 1905. His colors became warmer. The post-Impressionist dots of Signac are precursors of the flat colors of Fauvism.
In spring 1907, he spent six weeks to soak up in the atmosphere of the Golden Horn in Constantinople at different times of the day. Back in France, he expressed his delight in a series of oil paintings. In the foreground, sea and boats symbolize the activity of the city.
The largest of these paintings, 89 x 116 cm, shows Constantinople in the extreme light of sunrise or sunset. It was sold £ 8.8 million including premium by Christie's on February 7, 2012.
A smaller painting, 73 x 93 cm, is estimated £ 4M, for sale by Christie's in London on June 20. The atmosphere is quieter. On the horizon, mosques and minarets mark their distance by lighter colors that enhance the mystical feeling of the scene.
POST SALE COMMENT
Very good price for this Signac, smaller than the painting of the same series that I took as reference. It was sold £ 6.2 million including premium.
Landscape painter attracted by the sea, he was interested in maritime cities, including Venice in 1905. His colors became warmer. The post-Impressionist dots of Signac are precursors of the flat colors of Fauvism.
In spring 1907, he spent six weeks to soak up in the atmosphere of the Golden Horn in Constantinople at different times of the day. Back in France, he expressed his delight in a series of oil paintings. In the foreground, sea and boats symbolize the activity of the city.
The largest of these paintings, 89 x 116 cm, shows Constantinople in the extreme light of sunrise or sunset. It was sold £ 8.8 million including premium by Christie's on February 7, 2012.
A smaller painting, 73 x 93 cm, is estimated £ 4M, for sale by Christie's in London on June 20. The atmosphere is quieter. On the horizon, mosques and minarets mark their distance by lighter colors that enhance the mystical feeling of the scene.
POST SALE COMMENT
Very good price for this Signac, smaller than the painting of the same series that I took as reference. It was sold £ 6.2 million including premium.
1909 The Seer of the Beach
2014 SOLD 17.2 M$ including premium
In Murnau in 1909, Wassily Kandinsky develops his theories on artistic creation and illustrates them in a completely new pictorial language.
The theme of 'Improvisations' is well recorded. Some images show a seer of modern art in the assault on the fortress of classicism, although Kandinsky did not himself propose such a definition. His 'Impressions' are more difficult to categorize because the artist has not assigned this title to actual artworks.
However Strandszene (beach scene), oil on board 53 x 67 cm, retroactively appears as one of the best demonstrators of the artistic revolution brought by Kandinsky's Impressions.
This painting was executed at the end of 1909, not before a preparatory drawing dated August 3 in his sketchbook. As in Improvisations, vertical references disappear and colors are violent and even threatening. Some characters are shown but the narrative aspect is absent or impossible to decode.
The non localized beach is of course not Murnau which is a village in the Bavarian mountains. The long white robe of a character classifies it as an Orientalist painting. Tunisia was a favorite theme of Kandinsky when he was still a Fauvist landscape artist.
The great novelty of this composition is that it relies exclusively on a memory of impressions of the artist, without recourse of any previous work or to a photograph, thus excluding almost totally the reality of shapes.
Wassily probably painted it for display in a the house newly purchased in Murnau by his companion Gabriele Münter. He then kept it for nearly thirty years. Yet it is one of the earliest precursors of the release of the forms from any figurative or narrative intention that will lead to the concept of abstract art.
Strandszene is estimated $ 16M, for sale by Christie's in New York on May 6. I invite you to play the video shared by the auction house.
POST SALE COMMENT
Good result for this difficult Kandinsky painting which was from the best period: $ 17.2 million including premium.
The theme of 'Improvisations' is well recorded. Some images show a seer of modern art in the assault on the fortress of classicism, although Kandinsky did not himself propose such a definition. His 'Impressions' are more difficult to categorize because the artist has not assigned this title to actual artworks.
However Strandszene (beach scene), oil on board 53 x 67 cm, retroactively appears as one of the best demonstrators of the artistic revolution brought by Kandinsky's Impressions.
This painting was executed at the end of 1909, not before a preparatory drawing dated August 3 in his sketchbook. As in Improvisations, vertical references disappear and colors are violent and even threatening. Some characters are shown but the narrative aspect is absent or impossible to decode.
The non localized beach is of course not Murnau which is a village in the Bavarian mountains. The long white robe of a character classifies it as an Orientalist painting. Tunisia was a favorite theme of Kandinsky when he was still a Fauvist landscape artist.
The great novelty of this composition is that it relies exclusively on a memory of impressions of the artist, without recourse of any previous work or to a photograph, thus excluding almost totally the reality of shapes.
Wassily probably painted it for display in a the house newly purchased in Murnau by his companion Gabriele Münter. He then kept it for nearly thirty years. Yet it is one of the earliest precursors of the release of the forms from any figurative or narrative intention that will lead to the concept of abstract art.
Strandszene is estimated $ 16M, for sale by Christie's in New York on May 6. I invite you to play the video shared by the auction house.
POST SALE COMMENT
Good result for this difficult Kandinsky painting which was from the best period: $ 17.2 million including premium.
1922 Promise for an Odalisque
2017 SOLD for £ 4.4M including premium
Henri Matisse is throughout his career a lover of color. When he settled in Nice after the First World War, his themes changed. He began to consider Orientalist scenes as a pretext for the most colorful arrangements.
The figuration of his models also changes. However he remains much demanding with these young women who have to undergo very long poses. Perhaps the artist understood their disappointment when they viewed their pretty faces in Fauvist colors.
Henri sees his future odalisque in 1920. Henriette is 19 years old. Her forms are sculptural : she is tall, and harmoniously muscled by the practice of dance. She is proud of her body and enjoys to dress up. The artist has no sexual desire for his models and Henriette is warmly greeted by his family. Until 1927 she was Henri's favorite model.
On June 27 in London, Christie's sells Nu sur fond rouge, oil on canvas 56 x 34 cm painted in 1922, lot 18 estimated £ 4M. This lot had been sold for $ 4.5M including premium by Sotheby's on November 7, 2007.
The young woman is standing in the nude in full length. The hands resting on the back of the head provide her a fresh and innocent attitude despite the shameless full front nudity. The slightly shiny color of her skin is realistic. The colorful carpets and draperies confirm the artist's quest for orientalism.
The figuration of his models also changes. However he remains much demanding with these young women who have to undergo very long poses. Perhaps the artist understood their disappointment when they viewed their pretty faces in Fauvist colors.
Henri sees his future odalisque in 1920. Henriette is 19 years old. Her forms are sculptural : she is tall, and harmoniously muscled by the practice of dance. She is proud of her body and enjoys to dress up. The artist has no sexual desire for his models and Henriette is warmly greeted by his family. Until 1927 she was Henri's favorite model.
On June 27 in London, Christie's sells Nu sur fond rouge, oil on canvas 56 x 34 cm painted in 1922, lot 18 estimated £ 4M. This lot had been sold for $ 4.5M including premium by Sotheby's on November 7, 2007.
The young woman is standing in the nude in full length. The hands resting on the back of the head provide her a fresh and innocent attitude despite the shameless full front nudity. The slightly shiny color of her skin is realistic. The colorful carpets and draperies confirm the artist's quest for orientalism.
1928 Odalisques jouant aux dames by Matisse
2010 SOLD for £ 11.8M including premium by Sotheby's
Link to Artvalue.
1937 Odalisque by Matisse
2007 SOLD 33.6 M$ including premium by Christie's
Link to catalogue.
1942 A Real Princess for Matisse
2015 SOLD for £ 15.8M including premium
Matisse's orientalist approach was the excuse for lush compositions where the balance of colors dominated over the detailed line. However, he was working with European and Slavic models.
Matisse certainly appreciated this gap in his art. In the summer of 1940, seeing by chance a young Turkish woman, he is seduced by the regularity of her oriental face. Nézy is 21 years old. Great-granddaughter of Sultan Abdul Hamid, she lives in exile in Nice with her grandmother who accepts that she sits for the artist.
Matisse became seriously ill. Emerging from a long hospitalization in May 1941, he returned to his workshop at the Hôtel Régina. Considering his healing as an unexpected luck, he goes back to an intense work, realizing many drawings of his two muses of that time, Lydia and Nézy.
Painted in January 1942, the Odalisque au fauteuil noir is a portrait of Nézy. This oil on canvas 38 x 46 cm is the culmination of the oriental theme by Matisse. The realistic depiction is limited to the face and arm along with a vase of flowers on a small table. Clothing and decor are a symphony of colors that anticipates the researches of the abstract expressionism.
The Odalisque was sold for £ 6.6M including premium at Christie's on 22 June 2004. It is estimated £ 9M, for sale by Sotheby's in London on February 3, lot 7.
Matisse certainly appreciated this gap in his art. In the summer of 1940, seeing by chance a young Turkish woman, he is seduced by the regularity of her oriental face. Nézy is 21 years old. Great-granddaughter of Sultan Abdul Hamid, she lives in exile in Nice with her grandmother who accepts that she sits for the artist.
Matisse became seriously ill. Emerging from a long hospitalization in May 1941, he returned to his workshop at the Hôtel Régina. Considering his healing as an unexpected luck, he goes back to an intense work, realizing many drawings of his two muses of that time, Lydia and Nézy.
Painted in January 1942, the Odalisque au fauteuil noir is a portrait of Nézy. This oil on canvas 38 x 46 cm is the culmination of the oriental theme by Matisse. The realistic depiction is limited to the face and arm along with a vase of flowers on a small table. Clothing and decor are a symphony of colors that anticipates the researches of the abstract expressionism.
The Odalisque was sold for £ 6.6M including premium at Christie's on 22 June 2004. It is estimated £ 9M, for sale by Sotheby's in London on February 3, lot 7.
1955 The Homage by Picasso to his own Art
2015 SOLD for $ 180M including premium
The Femmes d'Alger by Delacroix, by inspiring Picasso, had a role in the genesis of modern painting. Executed in Paris in 1907, the painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon shows a group of women. Unlike in Delacroix, they are naked. They are not in the hot atmosphere of a harem but their offering is venal.
It is difficult to recognize the influence of Delacroix upon the Demoiselles because the tribal art that inspired the deconstruction of forms is the real origin of Cubism. Other influences have also been identified for this painting which is one of the most important breakthroughs of Western art : el Greco, Cézanne, Gauguin.
Matisse died in 1954. His Odalisques were famous. Picasso had not used this theme which exacerbated the colors and he was somehow jealous of his late friend. He disguises Jacqueline but this is not enough to equal the glory of his rival. To resume his place in the history of art, he resuscitates the Femmes d'Alger in a series of fifteen paintings numbered A to O.
The series is an imitation of the styles of Picasso's career starting from his invention of Cubism. The latest version, O, oil on canvas 114 x 146 cm achieved on 14 February 1955, appears as a synthesis of this rather disparate set, like the ultimate completion of Pablo's art on that date.
It takes much imagination to see Delacroix's influence in the Version O, but the comparison with the Demoiselles is obvious. The women are naked or half dressed but in a later cubism style that excites the imagination by blurring the vision. The standing woman on the left displays a much better readability that joins the then recent art of Pablo.
Pablo has always enjoyed to confront himself with the great masters. The large mirror anticipates his series of Las Meninas painted two years later.
Version O of Les Femmes d'Alger was sold for $ 32M including premium by Christie's on 10 November 1997. It is for sale on May 11 at Christie's in New York, lot 8A. The press release of March 25 indicates an estimate in the region of $ 140M.
The low resolution image below is shared by Wikimedia for fair use :
It is difficult to recognize the influence of Delacroix upon the Demoiselles because the tribal art that inspired the deconstruction of forms is the real origin of Cubism. Other influences have also been identified for this painting which is one of the most important breakthroughs of Western art : el Greco, Cézanne, Gauguin.
Matisse died in 1954. His Odalisques were famous. Picasso had not used this theme which exacerbated the colors and he was somehow jealous of his late friend. He disguises Jacqueline but this is not enough to equal the glory of his rival. To resume his place in the history of art, he resuscitates the Femmes d'Alger in a series of fifteen paintings numbered A to O.
The series is an imitation of the styles of Picasso's career starting from his invention of Cubism. The latest version, O, oil on canvas 114 x 146 cm achieved on 14 February 1955, appears as a synthesis of this rather disparate set, like the ultimate completion of Pablo's art on that date.
It takes much imagination to see Delacroix's influence in the Version O, but the comparison with the Demoiselles is obvious. The women are naked or half dressed but in a later cubism style that excites the imagination by blurring the vision. The standing woman on the left displays a much better readability that joins the then recent art of Pablo.
Pablo has always enjoyed to confront himself with the great masters. The large mirror anticipates his series of Las Meninas painted two years later.
Version O of Les Femmes d'Alger was sold for $ 32M including premium by Christie's on 10 November 1997. It is for sale on May 11 at Christie's in New York, lot 8A. The press release of March 25 indicates an estimate in the region of $ 140M.
The low resolution image below is shared by Wikimedia for fair use :
1955 The Year of the Femmes d'Alger
2014 SOLD 17 M£ including premium
Matisse's death in November 1954 deprives Picasso of a friend with whom he liked to compare his ideas about the essentials of art. Little interested so far by Orientalism, Pablo begins on December 13 his series of fifteen paintings titled Les Femmes d'Alger.
The theme is ostensibly following Delacroix but Picasso leaves no doubt about his real intention by declaring not without humor that he got the legacy of Matisse's odalisques. Remind that Les Femmes d'Alger is a project probably unique in the history of art where the artist carefully imitated several styles used by himself during his long career.
A new series of paintings beginning on November 19, 1955 combines this orientalist fantasy with the exploration of the face and body of his new muse Jacqueline Roque, shown in clothes and attitudes of a Turkish harem from Pablo's imagination. The style resumes the normal course of evolution of Picasso's art.
On February 4 in London , Christie's sells the half length portrait in an armchair, oil on canvas 92 x 73 cm painted on 20 November 1955, where Jacqueline is adorned with multicolored turban and vest. Her face is almost realistic. This artwork is estimated £ 15M.
Another oil on canvas of the same series, 116 x 89 cm, dated 26 November 1955 was sold for $ 31M including premium at Christie's on November 6, 2007. Drawing the attention to the body rather than to the face, this figure is more erotic.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate was ambitious. The result, £ 17M including premium is only 10% below the erotic painting sold in 2007.
The theme is ostensibly following Delacroix but Picasso leaves no doubt about his real intention by declaring not without humor that he got the legacy of Matisse's odalisques. Remind that Les Femmes d'Alger is a project probably unique in the history of art where the artist carefully imitated several styles used by himself during his long career.
A new series of paintings beginning on November 19, 1955 combines this orientalist fantasy with the exploration of the face and body of his new muse Jacqueline Roque, shown in clothes and attitudes of a Turkish harem from Pablo's imagination. The style resumes the normal course of evolution of Picasso's art.
On February 4 in London , Christie's sells the half length portrait in an armchair, oil on canvas 92 x 73 cm painted on 20 November 1955, where Jacqueline is adorned with multicolored turban and vest. Her face is almost realistic. This artwork is estimated £ 15M.
Another oil on canvas of the same series, 116 x 89 cm, dated 26 November 1955 was sold for $ 31M including premium at Christie's on November 6, 2007. Drawing the attention to the body rather than to the face, this figure is more erotic.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate was ambitious. The result, £ 17M including premium is only 10% below the erotic painting sold in 2007.
1955 Picasso revisiting the Women of Algiers
2011 SOLD 21.3 M$ including premium
The series of the Femmes d'Alger painted by Picasso between December 13, 1954 and February 14, 1955 does not belong to one single phase of the art of the master, but to many. Taking as a pretext Delacroix's painting, he produced 15 variations, very different from one another, numbered A to O.
It is likely that Picasso, just after the death of Matisse, wanted to conduct a parallel study of art history and of his personal contributions. Some are in color, others in grisaille (a term also used in its French version in English texts).
Five of them remained in the Ganz collection until the death of the collector. The version O, 114 x 146 cm, which can be considered as the culmination of the group, was sold for $ 32M including premium at Christie's on November 10, 1997.
Ganz had bought all the series to Kahnweiler but the version L which will be sold by Christie's in New York on May 4 is one of the ten versions he soon put back on the market.
It is a grisaille, 130 x 97 cm, dated February 9, 1955. The topic, centered on a figure of dominatrix woman, is executed in the manner of the experimental years of Cubism before the First World War. The cumulated experience of Picasso makes this painting a luminous work that exceeds in this respect many early Cubist paintings of the master.
Picasso's exegetes will try a comparison with the Demoiselles d'Avignon, but it is recommended to keep a cool head and to remember that Ganz did not select the version L. The estimate, $ 20M, is ambitious.
POST SALE COMMENT
I was not really convinced that this work was major. In these circumstances, I consider that the result, $ 21.3 million including premium, is excellent.
It is likely that Picasso, just after the death of Matisse, wanted to conduct a parallel study of art history and of his personal contributions. Some are in color, others in grisaille (a term also used in its French version in English texts).
Five of them remained in the Ganz collection until the death of the collector. The version O, 114 x 146 cm, which can be considered as the culmination of the group, was sold for $ 32M including premium at Christie's on November 10, 1997.
Ganz had bought all the series to Kahnweiler but the version L which will be sold by Christie's in New York on May 4 is one of the ten versions he soon put back on the market.
It is a grisaille, 130 x 97 cm, dated February 9, 1955. The topic, centered on a figure of dominatrix woman, is executed in the manner of the experimental years of Cubism before the First World War. The cumulated experience of Picasso makes this painting a luminous work that exceeds in this respect many early Cubist paintings of the master.
Picasso's exegetes will try a comparison with the Demoiselles d'Avignon, but it is recommended to keep a cool head and to remember that Ganz did not select the version L. The estimate, $ 20M, is ambitious.
POST SALE COMMENT
I was not really convinced that this work was major. In these circumstances, I consider that the result, $ 21.3 million including premium, is excellent.
