Pablo Picasso

Estate of the artist (inv. 0747)
Marina Picasso (the artist's granddaughter; by descent from the above)
Mel Ferrer, France
Acquired from the above by the late owner in 2003

Munich, Haus der Kunst; Cologne, Josef-Haubrich-Kunsthalle; Frankfurt, Städtische Galerie im Städelschen Kunstinstitut; Zurich, Kunsthaus, Collection Marina Picasso, 1981-82, no. 46
Venice, Centro di Cultura di Palazzo Grassi, Picasso, Opere dal 1895 al 1971 dalla Collezione Marina Picasso, 1981, no. 59
Tokyo, National Gallery of Modern Art & Kyoto, Municipal Museum Kyoto, Picasso, Masterpieces from Marina Picasso Collection and from Museums in USA and USSR, 1983, no. 30, illustrated in the catalogue
London, Lefevre Gallery, Picasso, Works on paper, Barcelona, Blue and Pink Periods, from the Collection of Marina Picasso, 1988, no. 26
Valencia, IVAM Centre Julio Gonzalez, Picasso Dibujos 1899 - 1917, 1989, no. 18
Barcelona, Museo Picasso & Bern, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Picasso 1905-1906, 1992, no. 166, illustrated in the catalogue
Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin & Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Linie, Licht und Schatten. Meisterzeichnungen und Skulpturen der Sammlung Jan und Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, 1999, no. 126, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Venice, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, The Timeless Eye. Master Drawings from the Jan and Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski Collection, 1999, no. 143, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Madrid, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Miradas sin Tiempo. Dibujos, Pinturas y Esculturas de la Coleccion Jan y Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, 2000, no. 173, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Vienna, Albertina Museum, Goya bis Picasso. Meisterwerke der Sammlung Jan Krugier und Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, 2005, no. 130, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Munich, Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, Das Ewige Auge - Von Rembrandt bis Picasso. Meisterwerke der Sammlung Jan Krugier und Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, 2007, no. 175, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Zaragoza, Museo de Zaragoza, Goya y el mundo moderno, 2008-09, no. 22, illustrated in colour in the catalgoue

Christian Zervos, Pablo Picasso, supplément aux années 1903-1906, Paris, 1970, vol. XXII, no. 454, illustrated pl. 159
Josep Palau I Fabre, Picasso Vivo, 1881 - 1907, Infancia y primera de un demiurgo, Barcelona, 1980, no. 1311, illustrated p. 463
John Richardson, A Life of Picasso, 1881-1906, New York, 1991, vol. I, illustrated p. 439

Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down and attached to the mount intermittently, floating in the mount. There is a pinhole to each of the upper corners, and there are a few thin diagonal creases to the upper left corner. There is a 5mm tear towards the centre of the left edge. The lower left and right corners have been torn. There is a vertical repaired tear below the inscription and a further diagonal one towards the lower right edge. There is some light studio dirt. Otherwise this work is in overall 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."

Tête de vieillard was executed in 1906 in Gosol, where Picasso was staying at the time with his lover Fernande Olivier, and indeed 1906 proved to be an extremely formative period in Picasso’s artistic development. The present work is a portrait of Josep Fondevila, who was the proprietor of the inn where the couple were lodging. According to Fernande Olivier, he ‘was a ninety year old man who used to be a smuggler. He had a strange and savage beauty, kept his hair in spite of his years and had remarkably white teeth. He was astute and good natured only in the company of Picasso’. Picasso was clearly fascinated by Josep as a character and executed around 10 drawings of him during his stay as well as an oil portrait, now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York.

This elegant and pared down drawing demonstrates the way in which Picasso was increasingly economising and simplifying his means of expression during this period, in this case to such an extent that this living man has been reduced to a kind of mask. This of course reflected Picasso’s increasing interest in a more primitive aesthetic during this period, an exploration which culminated in the distorted mask-like faces and forms of his masterpiece Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, painted the following year in 1907.