Francis Picabia

Ambassadeur Henri Bonnet, France
Collection particulière, Paris
Par descendance au propriétaire actuel

Please note that measurements in inches are incomplete in the printed catalogue and should read 36 1/8 x 28 5/8 in. The canvas is not lined. There is no evidence of fluorescence under UV light. This work is in very good condition.
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signed 'Francis Picabia' (lower left) and titled 'Manga' (upper right), oil on canvas. Painted circa 1930-32.

En 1928, après avoir achevé sa célèbre série de 'Monstres' qui exhibaient, pour la plupart, des couples en disharmonie révélant l'imaginaire monstrueux des relations humaines, Picabia est en quête d'un style de vie plus paisible et tombe sous le charme d'Olga, sa future femme. Cette nouvelle existence où amour plaisir et beauté règnent en parfaite harmonie s'incarne immédiatement dans une nouvelle série de toiles connues sous le nom de Transparences. Inspiré par diverses sources à commencer par les fresques de l'Antiquité romaine, le Cubisme et sans doute les expérimentations autour de la photographie moderne de son ami Man Ray, l'artiste immortalise des personnages stylisés à partir d'images religieuses, mythologiques ou indigènes; élaborant sa composition en superposant différentes couches de peinture créant par la même une imbrication de lignes et d'images dont Manga est exemplaire. Les compositions ainsi obtenues furent acclamées; Picabia, une fois encore, était à l'origine d'un nouveau vocabulaire dont le style ne laissait aucun doute sur l'identité de son auteur.

Dans les années 1920, à Paris, l'art africain devient de  plus en plus accessible au public. Au départ largement réservé aux galeries, il est rapidement révélé par la majeure exposition internationale d'art colonial, qui fit grand bruit à Paris en 1931. Picabia dresse ici le portrait d'une jeune femme africaine, nue dans un environnement tropical. Il la représente soucieux de ne rien omettre, soulignant à la perfection les scarifications de ses joues, pratique alors en vogue au Congo.

 

By 1928, after having completed his series of Monster paintings which often depicted couples in disharmony, revealing imaginary monstrous human relations, Picabia was in search of a more peaceful life style and fell in love with his companion Olga, who would become his wife. He had found beauty and pleasure and these important changes were immediately reflected in Picabia's new series of paintings (1928-32) that he named Transparences. Inspired by several sources including Roman frescos, Cubism and perhaps even modern photography experimentations by his friend Man Ray, the artist depicts stylised portraits based on religious, mythological or indigenous imagery by building up the composition with super-imposing layers of paint creating overlapping lines and images. The resulting compositions were highly acclaimed; Picabia had developed yet another new unique vocabulary in this work, instantly recognisable as his alone. The present painting MANGA is a fine example.

African art was becoming more and more visible in Paris by the 1920s, largely confined to galleries and was soon to be heralded by the landmark Exposition Art Coloniale Internationale, which drew huge crowds in Paris in 1931. MANGA depicts a portrait of an African woman, naked in her tropical surroundings and Picabia has depicted her perfectly, showing scarification on her cheeks, a ritual practised in many parts of Africa, particularly in the Congo.