Pablo Picasso

Sale: Karl & Faber, Munich, December 4, 1996, lot 735
Private Collection (acquired circa 1999)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Basel, Galerie Beyeler, Picasso and his Work 1900-1932, 1966-67, no. 10

Christian Zervos, Pablo Picasso, Supplément aux années 1903-1906, vol. XXII, Paris, 1970, no. 420, illustrated pl. 148
Pierre Daix & Georges Boudaille, Picasso 1900-1906, Neuchâtel, 1966, no. D. XV.14, illustrated p. 312
Alberto Moravia & Paolo Lecaldano, L' Opera Completa di Picasso, Blu e Rosa, Milan, 1971, no. 275 C, illustrated p. 110

Executed on buff-coloured thin paper, affixed to a mat at the four corners. Repaired tears at extreme lower corners particularly visible in the lower right corner as well as tiny reparied tear upper right corner. Two vertical repaired tears at the centre of the lower edge; extending at one inch to two inches. A few nicks to the extreme edges. Certain areas of the sheet are of a darker tone, this may be inherent to the sheet. Work is in fairly good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This work was probably executed in the summer of 1906 during Picasso and Fernande Olivier's sojourn in the Spanish town of Gósol. Over the course of the summer, Picasso produced a series of paintings and studies of women doing their hair, most notably La Toilette, now in the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo and Le Harem in the Cleveland Museum of Art. 

In the present work, the elongated, angular forms of the nude standing in contraposto also relate to the sculpture Bois de Gósol Picasso created from a gnarled piece of boxwood he found (Musée Picasso, Paris).