Francis Picabia

Henry Daher, Paris

Sale: Christie's, London, June 30, 1987, lot 210A

Kent Fine Art, Inc., New York

Acquired by the present owner by 1989

Marseille, Musée Cantini, Picabia, 1962, no. 55 (as dating from 1929)

New York, Kent Fine Art, Francis Picabia, 1989

Francis Picabia: mezzo secolo di avanguardia (exhibition catalogue), Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna, Turin, 1974-75, no. 295, illustrated p. 124

Maria Lluïsa Borràs, Picabia, New York, 1985, no. 567, fig. 751, illustrated in color p. 368 (as dating from 1930)

Sarah Wilson, Francis Picabia: Accommodations of Desire, Transparences 1924-1932, New York, 1989, illustrated in color pl. V (as dating from 1928)

Michael Kimmelman, "Picabia's 'Transparences': Layers of Many Meanings," The New York Times, April 28, 1989

Very good condition. Original canvas. Under UV light, there are areas of flurescence in the dark lines, which seem to be due to the nature of the pigment. In the upper right and left there are a few spots of retouching, but over all the composition is stable and 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.

Craccae belongs to a seminal group of paintings, known as Transparences, that Picabia executed in the late 1920s and early 1930s, deriving their name from multiple layers of overlapping imagery.  The present composition is dominated by two figures — a standing female and a kneeling male nude, overlapping with several large heads and set along the Nile by the Pyramids of Giza.  The lake or river and the trees in the background are characteristic of the elements of the natural world Picabia often incorporated in his Transparences.  These images, simultaneously transparent and opaque, are manipulated by Picabia in scale and orientation in such a way as to create a seemingly impenetrable allegory with characteristics of a dream or a mystic vision.

 

Besides natural phenomena, Picabia’s Transparences also draw their inspiration from Romanesque frescos and Renaissance painting.  Rich in cultural references, they combine their varied images into compositions of great beauty and harmony.  The title of the present work is derived from a Latin word which can refer both to a species of moth and plant, and is a characteristic example of the way in which the artist combined references to the natural world with the imagery reminiscent of the old masters.  Following his experimentation with Dadaism and abstraction, in the 1920s Picabia turned away from the aesthetic of shock towards a kind of ‘renaissance,’ creating figurative images of mysterious, contemplative beauty.  Despite the wealth of artistic, cultural and natural references, the meanings of the transparencies remain deliberately obscure and ambiguous, and their power lies in their evocative beauty and elegance of execution.