Pablo Picasso

Drawn in 1937.

Estate of Dora Maar (sold: Piasa, Paris, Les Picasso de Dora Maar, 27th October 1998, lot 13)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Munich, Stiftung Haus der Kunst, Dora Maar, 2001-02, no. 5
Paris, Musée Picasso & Melbourne, National Gallery of Victoria, Picasso - Dora Maar. Il faisait tellement noir, 2006, no. 143, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Paul Eluard, A Pablo Picasso, Geneva & Paris, 1944, illustrated p. 167
Christian Zervos, Pablo Picasso, œuvres de 1937 à 1939, Paris, 1958, vol. 9, no. 95, illustrated pl. 42
Jean Leymarie, Picasso Métamorphoses et unité, Geneva, 1971, illustrated p. 248
Pierre Cabanne, Le Siècle de Picasso, 1975, vol. II, p. 790
Pierre Daix, La Vie de peintre de Pablo Picasso, 1977, no. 43, illustrated pl. 6
Pierre Daix, La Victime et l'œuvre de Picasso, Paris, 1985, p. 261
The Picasso Project, Picasso's Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings and Sculpture. Spanish Civil War, 1937-1939, San Francisco, 1997, no. 37-052, illustrated p. 23

Executed on a thick sheet of white wove paper, not laid down, hinged to the mount on the reverse of all four corners, floating in the mount. There are traces of pigment from the artist's studio visible at the edges of the sheet. 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."

Throughout the years spent with Dora Maar, Picasso would depict her in a variety of ways: from the gentle, dignified depictions dating from the early stages of their relationship, to the menacing, almost monstrous character of the weeping women series. In the present work Picasso depicts her in the intimate moment of sleeping, portraying the beauty of his model while she in unaware of being observed. The sense of tranquillity that dominates in this composition suggests none of the drama and emotional upheaval of the years that followed.