Francis Picabia

Lucien Lefebvre-Foinet, Paris
International Galleries, Chicago (probably acquired from the above)
Acquired from the above circa 1961 and thence by descent to the present owner

In general this panting is in beautiful state. The varnish laden surface and the associated cracking are original and not something one would want to remove. The current varnish saturates the surface nicely. Running down the left edge there is a section which appears to be a stitched on piece of canvas and it is more than likely that the artist himself or somebody under his guidance added this, so that the work could be stretched onto a canvas and would be rectangular rather than the scruffy piece of canvas. Despite the fact that this area has cracked differently than the remaining pigment and has not accepted varnish in the same way, there appears to be no reason that this is not some kind of addition or correction from the period. No further restoration is recommended. The above condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
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.

Painted circa 1936, Trois mimes marks a decisive turning point in Francis Picabia's work immediately following his seminal Transparencies series.  Gertrude Stein, a close friend and one of the artist's primary supporters, organized an exhibition later that year at the Arts Club of Chicago, in order to unveil his recent paintings to the American public. By showing only figurative pictures, without any of the superimposed elements of his Transparencies, Picabia took the public by surprise.  While documentation of the paintings in the exhibition is scarce, the present work fits within the distinct group of pictures known to have been included in the exhibition.  William Camfield writes, "...every documented work is characterized by deliberately simplified, heavily outlined and solid images in which transparency is wholly eliminated.  In some instances, the forms are summarily modeled in light and dark, but for the most part these boldly contoured figures are filled in with bright, flat colors or washed over with a blue-green tone" (William A. Camfield, Francis Picabia: His Art, Life and Times, Princeton, 1979, p. 248).  These new works were shocking to viewers and the exhibition was not well-received.  Not for the first time, Picabia's pictures were out of step with their time.  Camfield notes "Regardless of the period of his career, Picabia painted essentially for himself:  he painted what he wanted to paint, enjoyed it and took it seriously.  While Picabia's precise intentions are not known for these particular works. . . his correspondence with Gertrude Stein and the witness of Olga Picabia make it clear that he considered them significant paintings. . ." (ibid., p. 249).

Fig. 1 The artist
Fig. 2  Francis Picabia, Portrait of Gertrude Stein, 1937, oil on canavs, Private Collection