Edward Weston

Executed in 1936 and printed later by Cole Weston.

Cole Weston, Monterey, 1980
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Cleveland Museum of Art; Boston, Museum of Fine Arts; the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., Edward Weston: Photography and Modernism, February 1999 - April 2002, pl. 75, illustrated (another example exhibited)
Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum, Photographers of Genius at the Getty, March - July 2004, front cover and pl. 85, illustrated (another example exhibited)
Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum, Edward Weston’s Book of Nudes, July - November 2007, pl. 39, illustrated (another example exhibited)

Merle Armitage, Fifty Photographs: Edward Weston, New York, 1947, pl. 21, illustrated 
Edward Weston: Master Photographer, 1886-1958,' U. S. Camera Annual 1959, p. 58
Nancy Newhall, The Flame of Recognition, Rochester, 1965, p. 65, illustrated 
Ben Maddow, Edward Weston: Fifty Years, Aperture, 1973, p. 267, illustrated 
Charis Wilson, Edward Weston: Nudes, New York, 1993, p. 82, illustrated 
Terence Pitts & Manfred Heiting, Edward Weston: 1886-1958, Cologne, 2004, p. 155, illustrated 
Amy Conger, The Form of the Nude, New York, 2005, p. 97, illustrated 

This work is in overall very good condition. The work is attached to the mount. There are no apparent condition issues with the work. Some minor foxing and soiling are visible on the reverse of the mount. Framed under Plexiglas.
"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."

Edward Weston’s nude photograph of Charis Wilson, his muse, assistant, and later his wife, was produced in 1936, in the middle period of the artist’s 40 year career. While hundreds of portraits of Charis Wilson—clothed and unclothed—can be found in the archives of the photographer’s oeuvre, this photograph is celebrated as one of the most aesthetically perfect nude creations of the 20^th century.