Pablo Picasso

Private Collection, Toronto

Galleri K, Oslo

Private Collection, Norway

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Christian Zervos, Pablo Picasso, oeuvres de 1943 et 1944, vol. 13, Paris, 1962, no. 200, illustrated pl. 99 (without the signature)

The Picasso Project, ed., Picasso's Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings and Sculpture, Nazi Occupation, 1940-1944, San Francisco, 1999, no. 43-316, illustrated p. 292

Very good condition. The sheet has been laid down to a paper support, which is hinged at the top to the mat. The sheet is slightly time-stained and bears some insignificant specks of foxing that do not visually disturb the composition. There is a 1 inch repaired tear exending from the top edge at right, and a 3 inch repaired tear extending from the bottom edge at left -- both tears have been expertly restored and are not immediately apparent. There is some residual glue at the extreme edge along the top, and a small handling crease at the top left corner. The pencil is strongly and confidently applied, and overall, 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Picasso's elegant drawing of two young women dressed in fanciful costumes is in stark contrast to the reality of occupied Paris.  Unlike many of his contemporaries, Picasso had no urgent need to leave Paris during the war, and continued to work in his studio at 7, rue des Grands-Augustins.  By this point in his career, Picasso was a celebrity and financially secure, and did not have to worry about selling his work.  Rather than a vehicle for documenting the destruction that surrounded him, art provided an alternative reality into which he could escape.  While some of his contemporaries criticized Picasso for the lack of open political engagement in his art, others, such as Alfred Barr, deemed his activity heroic.

 

Perhaps the most immediate and significant motive for Picasso's optimism was the hope in a new relationship with the young painter Françoise Gilot.  Picasso met Françoise in May 1943, during his tumultuous relationship with Dora Maar, and soon she became a regular visitor to his studio.  In the summer Françoise moved to the Free Zone in the south of France, and on her return to Paris in November she resumed her visits to Picasso's studio.  This other-worldly depiction of two women might have been inspired by Gilot's early visits to Picasso, when she came in the company of her friend Geneviève.  Although the couple did not start living together until 1946, these early months of their relationship resulted in a number of charming, life-affirming works, including the present drawing.  As is the case for many works by the artist, Picasso signed this drawing at a later date.