Francis Picabia

Sale: Maitre Laurin, Paris, 1957
Private Collection, France
Sale: Calmels, Chambre, Cohen, Paris, April 6, 2001, lot 89
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Canvas is not lined. Surface is slightly dirty and there is some rippling at upper left corner. There is a dense web of stable craqueleure throughout the surface which is likely inherent to the artist's process. Under UV light there is a small area of restoration at the center of the left edge as well as another at the center of the lower half of the left edge. There is also a small restoration in the leaf at the figure's right ear and a few small strokes corresponding to a surface scuff just abouve and to the right of her mouth. This work is in good condition.
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 work belongs to Picabia's so-called transparences, a series of uniquely multi-layered paintings from the 1920s and 1930s. It was during these years, following his experimentation with Dada and abstraction, that Picabia turned away from the aesthetic of shock and looked instead to a kind of renaissance, drawing inspiration from Romanesque frescoes, Renaissance painting and Catalan art. In fact, he would often treat the semi-translucent surfaces of his transparences with glazes and heat, purposely imbuing them with an aged appearance. His selected imagery would often relate to religion or mythology; in this case he depicts Ida, a mountain nymph in Greek mythology.

As William Camfield writes, "Picabia's interest in the concept and techniques of transparency was not a sudden development. Ultimately it derived from preoccupations with simultaneity during the epoch of Cubism and Orphism... While the style and spirit of the transparencies are readily perceived, the motivations behind them are dimly understood. Many of Picabia's visual sources in past art were also quiet and wistful in mood, but he selected these models so that, finally, he was not responding simply to them but to larger forces within his art and life and the art and life about him. No answers are at hand, but a few observations may be offered, beginning with the fact that the transparencies evolved during a period of personal turmoil. As usual, the source of the trouble was Picabia's bittersweet love affairs" (William Camfield, Francis Picabia: His Art, Life and Times, Princeton, 1979, p. 229).