Pablo Picasso

Galerie Salis & Vertes, Salzburg
Private Collection (acquired from the above in 1989 and sold: Christie's, London, February 5, 2008, lot 569)
Acquired at the above sale

This work is in very good condition. Executed on cream colored card that presents a light gloss inherent to the material. Medium is very bright and fresh. Hinged to a mount at several places around the perimeter. Along the left edge there are four hole punches wihc have been filled in. One centimeter repaired tear extends from teh second highest filled hole punch to the edge of the sheet. Small crease at lower left near the signature. Vertical 4 1/2 inch crease in the body of the figure at left and another crease extends vertically through the left leg of the figure at right. A few studio stains scattered throughout. On the verso of the work this is a one inch crease in the figure's cloak at right.
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.

In Trois Personnages (recto); Cinq Personnages (verso)  Picasso employs numerous characters recurring elsewhere in his oeuvre. The freedom and spontaneity of his late work, combined with the use of archetypal figures and symbols, reflects both a growing awareness of his mortality and a conscious decision to allow himself total liberty with both style and subject matter. Themes of sex and passion appear in many guises throughout Picasso’s final years, including the virile musketeers, titillated painters and pipe-smoking brigadiers entangled in romantic encounters with women.

Picasso further investigates the relationship between the painter and his model as depicted in the studio. Indeed, this relationship between the artist and model was one of profound complexity. The more Picasso explored this theme in his art, the more he pushed the artist-model relationship toward the ultimate conclusion—the artist embracing his model, removing the barrier of the canvas and transforming the relationship into that of a man and a woman coupled, often in sexual embrace.

Rather than ponder the details of human anatomy and perspective, the artist isolates those elements of his subject that fascinated and preoccupied him and depicts them with a contemporary style and a sense of wit entirely his own.