Francis Picabia

Marcel Duchamp, Paris (Vente : Hôtel Drouot, Paris, Tableaux, aquarelles et Dessins par Francis Picabia appartenant à M. Duchamp, 8 mars 1926, lot 22)
André Breton, Paris
Simone Collinet (Galerie Furstenberg), Paris
Matta, Paris (acquis de la précédente à la fin des années 1950)

Paris, Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Francis Picabia, 1976, no. 58, reproduit p. 78 (daté 1915-1917) 
Nîmes, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Francis Picabia, 1986, no. 30, reproduit p. 48 (daté 1915-1917)

Maria Lluisa Borras, Picabia, Paris, 1985, cat. 229, no. 361, reproduit p. 226

Please note this was once part of a double-sided work: the recto was a 1919 oil entitled Serpentins. It remained in the collection of Matta from the late 1950s until his death in 2002. The medium is cardboard of uneven thickness (1.5 to 3 mm), measuring 83 x 63 cm. The cardboard was originally thicker, painted on both sides (recto/verso) and was separated at a later date. Prior to separation, the work was framed, displaying “Tournez rare” as the verso: traces of this framing are visible on the edges and the corners of the board. The board’s surface is irregular and wavy in places and lacks a rigid support however this can easily be arranged by a restorer for safe long-term conservation. The preparatory drawing is in graphite pencil (between the two cones on the right one can see traces of a ruler and compass). The grey background is oil, fairly thickly painted and applied with a palette knife. The whites are painted in oil applied with a brush. The thin red circle is painted in gouache and the central red dot is oil. The outlines, title and signature are Indian ink. The P and the I of the signature cover zones that underwent partial surface loss during the separation of the two boards, as visible in the arc of the circle just above, and it is likely that these letters in the signature were repainted afterwards, possibly by Matta, its owner. One of the red dots forming concentric circles (the furthest left dot) has also been added at a later date in a different medium from the other dots in the circle, over an area of the card that has been peeled off during the board separation. On the grey background in the upper right the card has become deformed in two places (where it has become too thin) leading to some craquelure and a rising of the pictorial surface. There are some minor scratches and traces of pasted paper associated with the removal of the recto work.
"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."

titled 'Tournez rare' (upper left) and signed 'Picabia' (lower left), oil, gouache, brush and ink and pencil on cardboard. Executed circa 1919.

Fig. 1  André Breton photographié au Théâtre de l'Oeuvre, 27 mars 1920

Fig. 2  Francis Picabia, Serpentins, vers 1919-22, huile sur carton, Musée d'Art Moderne de la ville de Paris

Cette rarissime peinture mécanique de Francis Picabia, l'une des toutes dernières en mains privées, jamais proposée sur le marché depuis les années 50, possède une provenance fabuleuse et un destin hors du commun. Elle se trouvait à l'origine au verso d'une autre peinture mécanique de 1919, Serpentins, aujourd'hui conservée dans les collections du Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (voir fig. 2).

Elle fit ainsi partie de la vente des Picabia de Marcel Duchamp en 1926 et fut acquise par André Breton, qui n'entretenait toutefois plus aucun lien d'amitié avec Picabia depuis 1924 mais continuait d'admirer ses plus belles créations.
Ces "deux peintures mécaniques en une", rejoignirent ensuite la collection de Simone Collinet, première épouse d'André Breton, qui les expose une première fois en 1951 dans sa galerie Artistes et Artisans puis dans la toute nouvelle galerie Furstenberg en 1956, où Matta, l'artiste et ami de Picabia en fit l'acquisition.
Tournez rare fut séparé de Serpentins en 1962 après une exposition Picabia à la Kunsthalle de Berne en 1962. Matta vendra ensuite Serpentins mais conservera toute sa vie Tournez rare, dont le titre renvoie à une autre peinture mécanique de Picabia, Machine tournez vite, 1916-1918, conservée à la National Gallery of Art de Washington D.C.   

 

This exceptional mechanical painting by Francis Picabia, one of the last to remain in private hands and unseen on the market since the 1950s, has a wonderfully unusual provenance.  It was first found on the verso of another mechanical painting from 1919, Serpentins, today housed in the collections of the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (see fig. 2). 

It was thus part of the sale of Marcel Duchamp's works by Picabia in 1926 and was acquired by André Breton, who though he had not been friends with Picabia since 1926 nevertheless continued to admire his fine creations.

These "two mechanical paintings in one" subsequently joined the collection of Simone Collinet, André Breton's first wife, who first exhibited them in 1951 in her gallery Artistes et Artisanes then in the brand new Galerie Furstenberg in 1956, where they were acquired by Matta, the artist and friend of Picabia. 

Tournez rare was separated from Serpentins in 1962 after the Picabia exhibition at the Kunsthalle in Bern.  Matta chose to sell Serpentins but kept Tournez rare throughout his life.  The title of the work recalls another of Picabia's mechanical pictures, Machine tournez vite, 1916-1918, housed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.