Lot 17
  • 17

Francis Picabia

Estimate
120,000 - 180,000 EUR
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Description

  • Francis Picabia
  • Avarice de la nature
  • signed Francis Picabia and dated 1948 (lower centre)
  • oil on card
  • 61.3 by 49.6 cm ; 24 1/8 by 19 1/2 in.

Provenance

Galerie Michael Werner, Cologne (acquired before 1980)
Private Collection, Netherlands (acquired from the above before 1984)

Exhibited

Paris, Galerie René Drouin, 491 : 50 ans de plaisir, 1949
Cologne, Galerie Michael Werner, Picabia, 1980, no. 18
Düsseldorf, Städtische Kunsthalle; Zürich, Kunsthaus & Stockholm, Moderna Museet, Francis Picabia, 1983-1984, no. 156

Literature

Maria Lluïsa Borràs, Picabia, Paris, 1985, no. 1083, illustrated p. 485

Condition

The board is sound. The colours are fresh and the impasto intact. There is some light abrasion to the edges but no evidence of retouching under UV light. This work is in excellent 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."

Catalogue Note

signed 'Francis Picabia' and dated '1948' (lower right), oil on card. Painted in 1948.

 

Painted in 1948, Avarice de la Nature is a magnificent example of one of the rare figurative themes in Picabia’s final period of creativity. After experimenting with many different styles, from Post-Impressionism to Dadaism, the artist was striving to redefine his conception of painting as an instinctive expression of interior worlds, thus returning towards abstraction.

When he remains within a figurative register the subject is thus reduced to its essential, primary structure. Only a few elements, straight or curves lines, opposing triangles, discs and dots of colour, decorate the surface of the canvas, enabling us to distinguish the motif of a person in profile. Avarice de la Nature, which was one of 36 canvases exhibited at the retrospective 50 ans de plaisir at the Galerie René Drouin in 1949, features a number of characteristics that are common among works from 1948: a structured and balanced composition, a rhythm created from dynamic lines against a monochrome background painted with dense strokes that emphasis the pictorial matter.

This work also recalls the famous series of Monsters painted by Picabia in the middle of the 1920s, populated by masked figures with pointed noses, couples painted in garish colours and women with many eyes. This paintings, executed with frenzy in electric hues, create a grimacing picture of high society during the années folles. Social satire taking inspiration from wild parties, theatre outings, race courses or casinos, these “monsters” offer a scathing critique of society, in which the cruel and the grotesque appear from beneath the polished, coloured veneer of social frolics.