- 1
Pablo Picasso
Estimate
350,000 - 450,000 GBP
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Description
- Pablo Picasso
- PORTRAIT DE DORA MAAR PENSIVE
- dated 28 Janvier XXXVII (upper left) and stamped with the estate mark DM 1998 (lower right)
- pencil on paper
- 31 by 40.2cm.
- 12 1/4 by 15 3/4 in.
Drawn in 1937.
Provenance
Estate of Dora Maar (sold: Piasa, Paris, Les Picasso de Dora Maar, 27th October 1998, lot 10)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner
Exhibited
Arles, Musée Réattu, Picasso, dessins, gouaches, aquarelles, 1898-1957, 1957
Paris, Musée Picasso & Melbourne, National Gallery of Victoria, Picasso - Dora Maar. Il faisait tellement noir, 2006, no. 144, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Paris, Musée Picasso & Melbourne, National Gallery of Victoria, Picasso - Dora Maar. Il faisait tellement noir, 2006, no. 144, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Literature
Christian Zervos, Pablo Picasso, œuvres de 1937 à 1939, Paris, vol. 9, no. 94, illustrated pl. 42
James Lord, Picasso & Dora: A Memoir, 1993, illustrated between pp. 120 and 121
'In Praise of Gossip', in Art Review, February 1994, illustrated p. 24
The Picasso Project, Picasso's Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings and Sculpture. Spanish Civil War, 1937-1939, San Francisco, 1997, no. 37-016, illustrated p. 8
Mary Ann Caws, Dora Maar with & without Picasso. A Biography, London, 2000, illustrated p. 86
James Lord, Picasso & Dora: A Memoir, 1993, illustrated between pp. 120 and 121
'In Praise of Gossip', in Art Review, February 1994, illustrated p. 24
The Picasso Project, Picasso's Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings and Sculpture. Spanish Civil War, 1937-1939, San Francisco, 1997, no. 37-016, illustrated p. 8
Mary Ann Caws, Dora Maar with & without Picasso. A Biography, London, 2000, illustrated p. 86
Condition
Executed on white wove paper, not laid down, hinged to the mount at the reverse of all four corners, floating in the mount. The top edge of the sheet is perforated and there are some very minor handling creases. This work is in very good original condition.
Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although the pencil is stronger and has a more neutral grey tonality in the original.
"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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
A woman of brilliant intelligence and striking features, Dora Maar captured the imagination of a number of artists and was the subject of numerous photographs by Man Ray and Lee Miller. In this depiction of Maar in a pensive pose, Picasso pays homage to both her physical and her inner beauty. As James Lord described upon meeting Maar in 1944: 'Her gaze possessed remarkable radiance but could also be very hard. I observed that she was beautiful, with a strong, straight nose, perfect scarlet lips, the chin firm, the jaw a trifle heavy and the more forceful for being so, rich chestnut hair drawn smoothly back, and eyelashes like the furred antennae of moths' (J. Lord, op. cit., p. 31).