Pablo Picasso

Charcoal on Paper

Gertrude Stein, Paris (acquired from the artist circa 1912; until 1946)
Estate of the above
Nelson A. Rockefeller, New York (acquired by 1968)
Marlborough Gallery, Inc., New York (acquired by 1970)
Private Collection, USA (acquired from the above in the mid-1970s. Sold: Sotheby's, New York, 6th May 2004, lot 139)
Purchased at the above sale by the late owner

New York, The Museum of Modern Art, Four Americans in Paris: The Collection of Gertrude Stein and Her Family, 1970, no. 53 (as dating from 1912-13)
Rome, Marlborough Galleria d'Arte, Pablo Picasso, opere dal 1912 al 1972, 1974-75, no. 3, illustrated in the catalogue (as dating from 1912-13)
San Francisco, Museum of Modern Art; Paris, Grand Palais & New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Garde, 2011-12, no. 377, illustrated in a photograph of Gertrude Stein's studio

Pierre Daix & Joan Rosselet, Le Cubisme de Picasso. Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint 1907-1916, Neuchâtel, 1979, mentioned p. 286
Pierre Daix, Picasso, Life and Art, London, 1993, mentioned p. 127
Anne Baldassari, Picasso and Photography: The Dark Mirror (exhibition catalogue), Musée Picasso, Paris; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston & Fotomuseum of the Munich Stadtmuseum, 1997-98, fig. 131 (II), illustrated in a photograph of Picasso's studio
Pepe Karmel, Picasso and the Invention of Cubism, New Haven & London, 2003, no. 239, illustrated p. 172

Executed on white wove paper, not laid down, T-hinged to the mount in the top two corners, floating in the mount. There are artist's pinholes in all four corners. Apart from slight discolouration in the corners and at the centre of left, right and lower edges due to old hinges, this work is in very good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although the charcoal has a stronger black 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 the autumn of 1912 Picasso executed a number of works on the theme of the guitar and violin, experimenting with a wide variety of media – from line drawings, like the present work, through collages, sculptures and oil and sand paintings on canvas. According to Pierre Daix, the present work is a study for Picasso's painting in oil, sand and charcoal, of the same title and date, that also originally belonged to Gertrude Stein, and is now at the Dartmouth College Museum in Hanover, New Hampshire (fig. 2). The present work is visible in a photograph of Picasso’s studio (fig. 1) taken by the artist himself, amongst a group of drawings, papiers collés and cut-out guitars, some resting on a flat surface, others hanging on the wall. This entire assemblage illustrates the remarkable inventiveness with which Picasso’s mind raced back and forth between different mediums and materials and testifies to his extraordinary artistic vision, resulting in a body of work that truly revolutionised twentieth-century art.

 

The first owner of the present work was the legendary art patron Gertrude Stein (1874-1946). Born in America, Stein moved to Paris in 1903, where she remained for the rest of her life. The apartment on the Left Bank that she shared with her brother Leo Stein became a famous Salon, gathering avant-garde artists and writers. It was here that Gertrude and Leo Stein accumulated what would become one of the most renowned collections of Modern art. In a photograph taken by Man Ray in 1922, Guitare sur une table is seen hanging in their Paris studio (fig. 3); in 1970 it featured in the Museum of Modern Art exhibition of the collection of Gertrude Stein’s family, which included works by artists such as Cézanne, Picasso, Matisse and Gris, many of which have since been recognised as landmarks of modern art. Most recently, the present work was included in the much lauded exhibition The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Garde, held at the San Francisco Museum of Art, the Grand Palais in Paris and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2011-12.