Francis Picabia

Sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, May 31, 1926, lot 97 
Sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, May 26, 1948, lot 136 
Sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, December 17, 1962, lot 77
Private Collection, Paris (and sold: Artcurial, Paris, December 17, 2001, lot 17)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Paris, Salon d'automne or Exposition d'art contemporain, 1911 (possibly; titled Jardin)

Olga Mohler Picabia, Francis Picabia, Turin, 1975, illustrated in a photograph of the artist's studio p. 8
Francis Picabia (exhibition catalogue), Musée National d'art moderne, Paris, 1976, illustrated in a photograph of the artist's studio p. 59
William A. Camfield, Francis Picabia, His Art, Life and Times, Princeton, 1979, illustrated pl. 48 (titled Landscape)
Maria Lluïsa Borràs, Picabia, Paris, 1985, no. 223, illustrated p. 126 & in a photograph of the artist's studio p. 128
William A. Camfield, Beverly Calté, Candace Clements, Arnaud Pierre & Pierre Calté, Francis Picabia Catalogue Raisonné, vol. I, New Haven & London, 2014, no. 426, illustrated in color pp. 322-23

Work is in excellent condition. Canvas is not lined but is backed with canvas and is very slightly undulating. Surface retains a rich and textured impasto and is slightly dirty. Under UV light: two nail-head size spots of inpainting in pale blue area at lower right. A few pindot retouches to address cracking in brown dot 6 inches above center of bottom edge, otherwise fine.
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.

During the 1910s, Picabia sought inspiration for his paintings in the countryside surrounding Paris. His forays into the rural regions of France allowed the artist access to remote landscapes, and this subject matter persisted even as he moved away from an Impressionist style and began to embrace abstract form. According to Maria Lluïsa Borràs, "during [his] years of transition to a new, non-imitative art Picabia was still constantly to be seen at the wheel of his latest new car, driving out of Paris in search of some remote spot where he could paint in happy solitude as in the hey-day of his 'Impressionist period'" (Maria Lluïsa Borràs, op. cit., p. 88).

The bold pigments and geometric planes that Picabia has employed in Le Torrent signify the artist's shift from representational painting to abstract compositions, while the subject matter reflects his love of the local landscape near his studio. In 1911, Picabia and his wife Gabrielle moved into an apartment on the Avenue Charles Floquet, and found the space suitable to their expanding family. According to Maria Lluïsa Borràs, "This flat, at number 32 in the Avenue Charles Floquet, provided the family with a very comfortable home and there was enough room for Picabia to set up his studio on the upper floor" (ibid., p. 88; see fig. 1).

This work is thought to have been exhibited under the title Jardin at either the Salon d'automne or the Exposition d'art contemporain in 1911. This painting and Picabia's Le Ruisseau dans le montagne, share the same subject, media and dimensions and the lack of reproductions in early sale catalogues caused confusion until the 2014 publication of the first volume of the Francis Picabia Catalogue Raisonné.