Francis Picabia, Atrata, circa 1929. Estimate £1,500,000–2,000,000. To be offered in Surrealist Art Evening auction on 26 February in London.
Portrait
The painting’s most-prominent face, as well as the hands with thumbs touching below it, have been adapted from Botticelli’s Portrait of a Man with a Medal, 1474–75.
Globe
The central figure of Atlas holding a globe is based on the Roman marble, a copy of which Picabia would have seen at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli.
Fruit
Foliage and fruit were common motifs in Picabia’s Transparences, and this boldly painted bunch of grapes dominates the lower section of Atrata.
Nature
Creatures such as this bird were often found in Picabia’s works. The word atrata in Latin means “clothed in black”, and is used to describe several species of animals.
Faces
Despite the references to Botticelli and Greek mythology, the overall meaning (if there is one) of the multiple faces and figures in this dream-like composition remains a mystery.
“I want a painting where all my instincts may have a free course,” the French Surrealist Francis Picabia once said. And this is precisely what he achieved with Atrata, circa 1929, a remarkable work in which multiple layers of overlapping images – faces, animals, fruit – come together to form a picture of singular beauty. It is an example of the artist’s Transparences, a series reflecting the “painterly renaissance” he had embarked upon in the 1920s after years of experimentation with Dada and abstract techniques. Transparences draws on sources ranging from antique sculpture and natural phenomena to Renaissance painting, and among the various elements of Atrata’s iconography are references to the Roman giant Atlas and the Italian painter Botticelli. Many other icons remain a mystery, making the work a visual enigma. This series propelled Picabia into the critical limelight, capturing the interest of leading dealer Léonce Rosenberg, who quickly bought three works from the series, commissioned the artist to paint panels in his home, and hosted his first retrospective in 1930. Held in the same private collection for four decades, this masterpiece is finally appearing at auction, where it presents a unique opportunity to acquire a piece of Picabia’s extraordinary puzzle.