Lot 53
  • 53

Pablo Picasso

Estimate
200,000 - 300,000 EUR
bidding is closed

Description

  • Pablo Picasso
  • Trois hommes debout
  • signed Picasso, dated 27.12.66 and numbered I (upper left)
  • pencil on paper
  • 54.6 x 45.7 cm ; 21 1/2 x 18 in.

Provenance

Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris 
Waddington Galleries, Londres
Andrew Crispo Gallery, New York
Harry & Brigitte Spiro, New York (acquired from the above on 24th April 1973) 
Sale : de Pury & Luxembourg, London, 24th June 2002, lot 26
Acquired from the above

Literature

Christian Zervos, Pablo Picasso, Vol. XXV : Œuvres de 1965 à 1967, Paris, 1972, no. 247, illustrated p. 116
Charles Feld, Picasso: His Recent Drawings, 1966-1968, New York, 1969, no. 38

Condition

Executed on white laid paper, not laid down, fixed to the backing mount in the corners. The left edge is deckled, indicating that the sheet has been removed from a large sketchbook. The overmount is fixed to the backing mount such that the lower edge of the sheet is not visible. The upper right corner of the sheet is missing. Apart from a few media marks and smudges inherent to the artist's process, this work is in excellent original 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. 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

“If we believe Ingres’ dictum that ‘drawing is the most honest art’, Picasso never expressed his deepest truth better than during this productive period [from 1966 to 1968] during which he executed thousands of drawings […] Picasso doesn’t depict a specific historical subject; his characters aren’t inanimate puppets, they are as alive as if they were made out of flesh and blood. Through their intermediary, a dialogue is created between time and space, but so much more intense, so much more profoundly lived” (Charles Feld, Picasso: Dessins 27.3.66-15.3.68, Paris, 1969, pp. 17-19).