Pablo Picasso

Earl Horter, Philadelphia (acquired circa 1920)
Helen Lloyd Horter Kelly, Harvey Cedars, New Jersey (acquired in 1937)
Eugene John Lewis, Philadelphia (acquired by November 1956)
Private Collection (a gift from the above in 1997; sale: Christie's, New York, 5th May 2004, lot 106)
Private Collection, Italy
Acquired from the above by the family of the present owner circa 2000

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Museum of Art, The Earl Horter Collection, 1934
Chicago, The Arts Club of Chicago, Modern Paintings from the Collection of Mr. Earl Horter of Philadelphia, 1934, no. 48
Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Mad for Modernism: Earl Horter and his collection, 1999, no. 48
Como, Villa Olmo, Picasso, la seduzione del classico, 2005

Christian Zervos, Pablo Picasso, Œuvres de 1920 à 1922, Paris, 1951, vol. IV, no. 55, illustrated p. 16
The Picasso Project (ed.), Picasso's Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings and Sculpture, Neoclassicism I 1920-1921, San Francisco, 1995, no. 20-197, illustrated p. 60
Josep Palau i Fabre, Picasso, From the Ballets to Drama (1917-1926), Barcelona, 1999, no. 710, illustrated p. 198

Executed on buff paper, not laid down and t-hinged to the mount in two places along the upper edge. The left edge is unevenly cut and the right edge is torn from a folded sheet. There are tape remnants to the reverse of the upper and lower edges. The sheet is time-stained. There are two tiny tears to the upper part of the left edge (each less than 4mm) and a couple of further tiny nicks. There are fine creases in places to the sheet, undulating due to the artist's process. 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."

Pablo Picasso’s striking Deux femmes, executed in 1920, is an early example of the artist’s Neo-Classical period. During this time Picasso was moving away from the flattened planes and abstractions of Cubism in his depiction of the human form towards a more voluptuous and sculptural quality. Picasso would develop this style over the coming years to its full potential in masterpieces such as Trois femmes à la fontaine (now in the Museum of Modern Art) and Deux femmes nues assises (in the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Dusseldorf). 

Picasso’s return to a classical style was part of a larger movement that dominated the avant-garde following World War I, fuelled by a desire for stability, introspection and contemplation after the shock and destruction of the war. Picasso’s decision to embrace this movement demonstrates his inclusive and unrestricted attitude: ‘If the subjects I have wanted to express have suggested different ways of expression I have never hesitated to adopt them […] Different motives inevitably require different means of expression’ (quoted in Elizabeth Cowling, Picassos Klassizismus: Jenseits der Schönheit, p.35 in Ulrich Weisner, Ed., Picassos Klassizismus, Werke von 1914 – 1934, Bielefeld, 1988, pp. 33-42). Therefore, Picasso’s reference to Greek and Roman Antiquity is not a submission to a specific style but demonstrates his desire to align himself with the great artists of the past, particularly painters such as Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and Jacques-Louis David whom Picasso greatly admired. Few artists have contributed to the history of art such a rich and diverse range of paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and ceramics. In its departure from Cubism Deux femmes is a testament to Picasso’s extraordinary talent to constantly reinvent his art.