Pablo Picasso

Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris
Curt Valentin Gallery, New York
Private Collection, Madrid (sale: Sotheby's, London, 24th June 2003, lot 174)
Purchased at the above sale by the late owner

Basel, Galerie Beyeler, Paysages après l'impressionnisme, 1975, no. 59, illustrated in colour in the catalogue 
Oslo, Galleri Haaken, Picasso: Peintures - Sculptures - Dessins, 2004, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Kalle Gallwitz, Picasso at 90, The Late Work, Paris, 1971, no. 66, illustrated p. 66
Christian Zervos, Pablo Picasso, Œuvres de 1946 à 1953, Paris, 1965, vol. XV, no. 274, illustrated pl. 151
The Picasso Project, Picasso's Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings and Sculpture. The Fifties I, 1950-1955, San Francisco, 2000, no. 53-036, illustrated p. 119

The canvas is not lined and there are no signs of retouching visible under UV light. This work is in good original 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."

Property from the Estate of Haaken Christensen sold to benefit Médecins Sans Frontières
HAAKEN ANDREAS CHRISTENSEN
1924-2008

One of the pre-eminent figures of the Norwegian art world, Haaken Christensen pioneered a highly influential gallery which has thrived at the centre of the Oslo cultural scene for more than 40 years. The gallery's exhibitions combined French modernists with leading contemporary Norwegian artists such as Jens Johannessen and Jakob Weidemann, creating an exciting and innovative interchange between international and indigenous art. This novel concept was to earn Christensen national recognition, and his exhibitions at the gallery were the springboard for a group of Norwegian artists who went on to gain wider international acclaim and are known locally as Stall Haaken (Haaken's Stable).

Christensen's lifelong interest in the arts began after his return to Norway after the war, when he enrolled at the University of Oslo to study for a master's degree in Art History. His chosen thesis on Gustave Courbet involved a period of study in the French capital where he immersed himself in the Bibliothèque Nationale. This experience in Paris made a strong impact on the young Christensen and was instrumental in establishing the strong ties with French art and culture which are so evident in the pictures in his personal collection as represented over the following pages.

While Christensen had no background in the arts, he adapted quickly to his subject. Not long after graduating he was commissioned to sell a number of paintings from the collection of Sigri Welhaven, including an important Matisse oil entitled La Coiffure (1907, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart). Christensen sold the picture to the shipbuilder Ragnar Moltzau and used the proceeds to start his career as an art dealer in earnest.  He befriended Daniel Henry Kahnweiler in Paris and subscribed to print editions by Picasso which form the basis of an extraordinary print collection to be sold at Sotheby's in October. By the early 1960s, Christensen had opened his first gallery with an exhibition devoted to Picasso linocuts. It was an exceptionally busy if rewarding time, as the gallery hosted shows of Gundersen, Ludvig Eikaas and prints by Chagall, Miró and Picasso in its inaugural year. Christensen was praised for his contribution to the gallery scene in Oslo both in terms of the quality of his exhibitions and his artistic judgement.

Continuous travel and exposure resulted in Christensen's advice being sought by a number of influential collectors who would often engage him as an agent. In due course more or less all the major Norwegian collectors had some dealings that touched on him. Hans Rasmus Astrup acknowledged Christensen's role in the acquisitions made by his museum and  Christensen was on the board of the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art from its opening in 1993 to 1995. Christensen was made a Chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1987.

Christensen's gift of the entire proceeds of the sale of this collection to the humanitarian group Médecins Sans Frontières is a gesture of extraordinary generosity. He had been paying an annual membership for a number of years, impressed by their non-political standpoint and low administrative costs which allowed for the maximum amount of gift aid to be used where it mattered most.  


Further lots from the estate of Haaken Christensen will be sold in London in the Impressionist & Modern Art Evening sale (25th June), Impressionist & Modern Works on Paper sale (26th June), as well as the Contemporary Day sales (3rd July) and the Old Master, Modern & Contemporary Prints sale (2nd October).

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At the end of the forties, Picasso moved to the villa La Galloise at Vallauris. Here he continued painting portraits and landscapes, whilst also experimenting with pottery, which became a major new preoccupation. The paintings from the summer of 1953 mainly consist of portraits of his wife Françoise Gilot and their two young children, Claude and Paloma and views of Vallauris, in which he concentrated on capturing the beautiful light of the south of France.  

On 10^th June 1953, Picasso did two versions of Le Transformateur and painted Paysage de Vallauris on canvases of similar size. The three paintings depict the same view of three white small buildings behind fences, the one on the left being higher than the two others. In the whole series of Vallauris landscapes, Picasso represents a green city where the trees and the natural elements are ever present, surrounding and disguising Le Transformateur, the white buildings at the centre of the compostion.