Lot 73
  • 73

Dora Maar

Estimate
15,000 - 25,000 USD
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Description

  • Dora Maar
  • GARÇON AVEC UN CHAT DANS LES BRAS APPUYÉ CONTRE UNE VITRINE
  • ferrotyped gelatin silver print
  • 15 5/8 x 11 3/8 inches
ferrotyped, flush-mounted, signed in ink and with the photographer's estate stamp on the reverse, 1934

Provenance

Estate of the photographer

Piasa, Drouot Richelieu, Paris, Les Photographies de Dora Maar, 20 November 1998, Lot 70

Exhibited

New York, Dorsky Gallery, Dora Maar, Photographer, 2004

Literature

Dora Maar (Haus der Kunst Munchen, 2001), abb. 40

Condition

This ferrotyped print is in generally very good condition. As is typical of ferrotyped prints, scattered surface scratches, occasional pitting, and an overall unevenness of the glossy surface are visible in raking light. Also in raking light, a few deposits of original retouching and thin, linear raised areas, likely a result of the mounting process, are visible. There are a few small losses of emulsion, which are only visible upon close examination and do not detract from the overall impact of this print. The print is trimmed to the image, and the edges and corners are worn, with some attendant chipping. There are tack-holes in each of the four corners of the image. The reverse of the mount is soiled. There is a white oval label with numerical notations in ink. Also on the reverse is a large curvilinear notation in pencil.
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.

Catalogue Note

Primarily a creator of Surrealist images (see Lot 75), Dora Maar also produced a series of photographs that captured urban street life.  While more documentary in content, Maar’s street photography nevertheless is tinged by her Surrealist outlook.  Taken in London, this image—as well as others from this series, including The Blind Street Quartet and No Dole—illustrates what Maar biographer Mary Ann Caws has called her ‘eye for the uncanny.’  In the present image, a boy clutches a housecat on a derelict street.  This unexplained scenario creates a classic Surrealist frisson: it is inexplicable and mysterious, yet completely real.  

Dora Maar (born Henriette Theodora Markovitch) first began photographing in the late 1920s, at the age of 19.  She studied both painting and photography before setting up a photography studio in the early 1930s.  Maar is perhaps best known as Pablo Picasso’s lover and as the model for many of his significant works from the 1930s and early 1940s.  She was the only photographer allowed to photograph Picasso painting the politically-charged Guernica, and her extensive documentation constitutes the sole visual record of the development of this masterpiece.