Lot 151
  • 151

Pablo Picasso

Estimate
200,000 - 300,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Pablo Picasso
  • Nu debout et trois têtes
  • signed Picasso and dated 20.5.72 (lower left)
  • pen and ink and ink wash on card
  • 60 by 77cm., 23 5/8 by 30 1/4 in.

Provenance

Marlborough Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Exhibited

Paris, Galerie Louise Leiris, Picasso, 1971-1972, no. 51, illustrated in the catalogue
Paris, Galerie Louise Leiris, 172 Dessins en Noir et en Couleurs, 1972, no. 68

Literature

Christian Zervos, Pablo Picasso, Œuvres de 1971-1972, Paris, 1978, vol. XXXIII, no. 392, illustrated pl. 138
The Picasso Project, Picasso's Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings and Sculpture, The Final Years, 1970-1973, San Francisco, 2004, no. 72-128, illustrated p. 309

Condition

Executed on cream card, attached to a mount at several spots along the border. There is minor pigment shrinkage in the top of the musketeer's hat and slight undulations in the card near the edges, particularly at the left side. 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. 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

Executed in 1972, Nu debout et trois têtes demonstrates the continued intensity and inventiveness which Picasso applied to his art even as he entered his ninth decade. The present work brilliantly reflects the key themes which dominated Picasso's late œuvre, a period which in recent years has undergone a critical reassessment and been the subject of numerous important exhibitions.

Taking a large sheet, Picasso provides the viewer with a rich and engrossing multiplicity of characters. The Musketeer, the most significant figure to feature in Picasso's work after 1966 appears twice in  different guises. Whilst the figure at left alludes to the influence he derived from old master painters such as Velasquez. The presence of Picasso's wife Jacqueline is also alluded to in this figure and in the monumental nude at the right of the composition.  Though she never formally posed for him, her features can often be identified in works executed in the last decades of Picasso's life.

In terms of execution Picasso has implemented a broad, vigorous application of ink against the white of the paper, thus creating dramatic chiaroscuro effects. The darkness of the background contrasts with the sculptural nude at right and the unworked areas of the central figure. Overall the quick assured brushstrokes evidence how Picasso's extraordinary skill as a draughtsman remained strong to the end.