Francis Picabia

Sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, March 8, 1909, lot 41
Private Collection, Europe

Paris, Galerie Haussmann, 1905, no. 18 (probably)

Work is in very good condition. Surface retains a rich impasto. A vertical hairline depression in the surface to the right of the haystacks. Under UV light, 5-10 small spots of inpainting upper right corner, to the right of the larger haystack and a slightly larger spot between the haystacks. A few small spots at the left and right edges presumably to address frame abrasion. 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.

The present painting, dating from 1904, is a masterwork of Picabia’s early Impressionist period. He uses a colorful palette of warm hues and loose, dashed brushstrokes to capture a moment in time at Moret, France, one of his favorite places to paint. Picabia “selected simple, but charming and specific sites, framed them informally and used an impressionist palette and brush techniques to capture the fleeting qualities of those scenes. Space and time are open; the spectator is invited to savor the passing of the day and explore…beyond the frame. Nature seems to be neither ordered nor dramatized but recorded by an appreciative and relatively objective observer” (William A. Camfield, Francis Picabia, Princeton, 1979, p. 9).

The present work is highly reminiscent of Monet’s series of grainstacks (or haystacks, as they are commonly known) from 1888-91 (see fig. 1). It is evident that Picabia was highly influenced by Monet as well as other Impressionist artists before him, such as Pissarro and Sisley. Picabia’s use of image appropriation here is an advanced conceptual gesture considering the early date; such appropriation in the avant-garde would only take hold several years later with the Dadaists and artists such as Marcel Duchamp.

With his Impressionist works in the early 1900s, Picabia began to exhibit in the liberal Salons of Paris—the Salon des Indépendants and the Salon d’Automne—bringing him both financial success and critical acclaim. Meules à contre-jour, Moret, le soir reflects the strongest elements of Picabia's engagement with the Impressionist idioms.