Pablo Picasso

Estate of the artist (inventory no. 4304)
Marina Picasso, France (the artist’s granddaughter; by descent from the above)
Acquired from the above 

Dublin, The Irish Museum of Modern Art, Picasso Working on Paper, 2000, no. 140, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Barcelona, Museu Picasso, Picasso: Guerra y Paz, 2004, no. 58, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Anne Baldassari, Picasso Papiers Journaux, Paris, 2003, p. 151
The Picasso Project, ed., Picasso's Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings and Sculpture, Nazi Occupation, 1940, San Francisco, 2013, no. 41-241b, illustrated p. 85

Work is in good condition. Executed on newspaper, not laid down. Sheet is hinged to the mat at three points along the upper edge, and two points along the lower right edge and is lightly time-darkened. The left edge of the sheet is slightly irregular. There are five artist pinholes along the top edge. There is a faint flattened crease along the center of the sheet, inherent to the original support. There is a faint flattened crease in upper left corner and another across the lower left corner with associated tiny tears to the edge of the sheet which are not visible when framed. There are three further tiny tears along the extreme perimeter of the sheet, not visible when framed.
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.

Upon the outbreak of World War II, Pablo Picasso moved to Royan, seventy-five miles north of Bordeaux on the Atlantic coast of France. There he completed many portraits of his model and lover, Dora Maar. Maar had been a constant companion in his studio since 1935, acting as a documentary photographer throughout his production of Guernica in 1937. By 1941 Picasso's paintings of her reflected the trials and tribulations that they had experienced together, and her image came to represent the ominous mood of the era. In Tête de femme, profil droit, he magnificently distorts Maar's image, revealing the complexity of his relationship with her and the emotions that she inspired in him. Indeed Dora Maar's relationship with Picasso is one of the most tumultuous love stories in the history of twentieth-century art. Picasso met Maar, a Surrealist photographer, in the autumn of 1935 and became enchanted by the young woman's powerful sense of self and commanding presence. In the eight years that followed, Maar was Picasso's principal model and the subject of some of his most iconic portraits. While Picasso often depicted Maar in an aggressive, even violent fashion, Tête de femme, profil droit reflects Picasso's more tender regard for his lover. Such treatments of Maar are a vital insight into the artist's unpredictable opinion of his subject. Despite his abruptly and coldly ending their relationship, it is clear from Tête de femme, profil droit that Picasso harbored enormous affection for his challenging and strident muse.