Pablo Picasso

Estimate

80,000 - 120,000 GBP

bidding is closed

Description

Pablo Picasso
LA FENÊTRE À SAINT-RAPHAËL. CARTE D'INVITATION
titled Invitation (upper centre) and abundantly inscribed on the lithograph; signed Picasso and inscribed Très heureux si vous venez me voir bientôt ici. Mes bons souvenir, et mes amitiés. 23 R. La Boétie, Paris on the reverse
watercolour over lithograph on paper
14.2 by 9.2cm., 5 5/8 by 3 5/8 in.

Provenance

Clive Bell, London (a gift from the artist)
Private Collection, Switzerland
Private Collection, Japan
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Exhibited

Hokkaido, Hakodate Museum of Art, Immortal Master - Picasso, 1987, no. 4, illustrated in the catalogue
Osaka, Takashimaya Gallery, Immortal Master - Picasso, 1987, no. 5, illustrated in the catalogue

Literature

Oliver Berggruen & Max Hollein, Picasso und das Theater, Frankfurt, 2006, illustrated in colour p. 38

Condition

Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down, attached to the mount at the top and bottom edges. Apart from two flattened creases to the lower right corner, and a small flattened crease running across the lower left corner, this work is in very 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."

Catalogue Note

This work is a fascinating historical document; an invitation from the artist to one of his most important critical champions on this side of the Channel, Clive Bell. Bell was one of the most prominent voices in the British cultural establishment, a member of the Bloomsbury Group (he was married to Virginia Woolf's sister, Vanessa), and art critic for the New Statesman and Nation. He was also an aesthetic theorist of some stature, arguing for a stringent version of formalism in which nothing other than the aesthetic qualities of the work are relevant in assessing whether an object is a work of art. Somewhat ironically, he believed that neither knowledge of the historical context of a painting nor the intention of the painter are necessary for the appreciation of visual art.

An envelope addressed to Clive Bell from the artist accompanies the present work.