In La Statuaire the artist depicts a seated female figure opposite a portrait bust, which is placed atop a pedestal. Seemingly parallel to each other, the pair is positioned in front of a set of open French doors, beyond which a balcony and an abstracted blue background convey, but do not confirm, the outdoors. The use of the balcony as a compositional device had been thoroughly explored in the previous century by the Impressionists. A visual symbol of Baron Hausmann’s Paris, artists from Édouard Manet to Gustave Caillebotte arranged space and perspective, both to view the city (in the case of Caillebotte) and to view the viewers (in the case of Manet; see figs. 4 and 5). Picasso’s balcony serves neither of these purposes. While it might abstractly imply the outdoors and the possibility of the female figure being seen by others, the primary act of looking here is between figure and sculpture or the artist—Picasso—regarding his own creation.

Past Auction

A Legacy of Beauty: The Collection of Sydell Miller Evening Auction

18 November 2024 | 6:00 PM EST | New York