María Blanchard

Private Collection, Madrid
Acquired from the above by the present owner circa 2010

Madrid, Sala Gavar, Maria Blanchard, 1980-81, illustrated in the catalogue
Madrid, Museo Español de Art Contemporaneo, Maria Blanchard, 1982, no. 25, illustrated in the catalogue

Antonio Manuel Campoy, Maria Blanchard, Madrid, 1981, illustrated in colour p. 59
Liliane Caffin Madaule, Catalogue raisonné des œuvres de Maria Blanchard, Spain, 1992, vol. I, illustrated p. 186

The canvas is lined. UV examination reveals some scattered spots and lines of retouching, mainly along the edges and to the musician's right hand. There is a thick layer of varnish and there are some fine lines of stable craquelure in places. Otherwise, this work is in overall good condition. Colours: overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue.
"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."

María Blanchard first met Juan Gris in Montparnasse in 1915, and within a year had quickly adopted the Cubist idiom in her pictorial lexicon. At that time Gris introduced Blanchard to the milieu of Picasso, Braque, Metzinger, and others.  However, it was Léonce Rosenberg who, in 1916, recognised Blanchard's talent and secured her financial future. In the artist's own words, 'he was one of the famous art dealers, such as Durand-Ruel, Vollard, Kahnweiler, etc.  He either gave me monthly arrears, or bought my paintings in advance, i.e. virtually the totality of my production. Don't forget that I worked slowly. The American buyers, such as Gertrude Stein and her brother, or Germans like Wilhelm Uhde, Russians with Tchoukine, and the often omitted Zborowski, Modigliani and Soutine's dealer, or again the Swiss Herman Ruff, did not visit my studio, which my painter friends were cautious not to tell him, i.e. Gris, Rivera, Picasso and even Lhote' (Maria Blanchard quoted in, Liliane Caffin Madaule, Catalogue raisonné des oeuvres de María Blanchard, France, 2007, p. 49).

If Rosenberg provided the financial support that Blanchard required, it was Juan Gris who proved to be her artistic and emotional support: 'during several years, our friendship was like the symbiosis of our cubist style. I owe him a lot, but I think I gave him some form of sensibility in his rigor [...] I knew [Gris] mainly since my last trip in 1915 thanks to Jacques [Lipchitz] who was a close friend of his. In 1918, we became more intimate. Gris was handsome with his very dark hair and skin, and very rare eyes with the whites having a blue hue; his stub nose, thick black eyebrows reinforced the welcoming glance of his eyes, and full reassuring lips were like an offering...our complicity fulfilled me [...] I have to admit to admiring his work and vocation as a cubist from which he never swerved.  People used to say that he had become a cubist as one would become a monk – all of this affected me, my head spun to the great benefit of my painting!...His influence in 1917, 1918, and 1919 was a determining factor for my painting' (ibid., pp. 49-51).

Confident in her ability to pull apart forms with kaleidoscopic results, Le Joueur de Luth is a remarkable example of Analytical Cubism, depicting a fragmented figure in a dynamic performance on the lute. The thick application of paint, dazzling palette and dizzying geometric patterns further contribute to the overall success of the composition.