Art Auctions/CHRISTIES Art News ARTS and CULTURE

PICASSO’S PORTRAIT OF MARIE-THÉRÈSE TO HIGHLIGHT CHRISTIE’S 20TH CENTURY EVENING SALE

Tête de femme sur fond jaune, 18 July 1934
Written by Staff Writer

PICASSO’S PORTRAIT OF MARIE-THÉRÈSE TO HIGHLIGHT CHRISTIE’S 20TH CENTURY EVENING SALE

On View at Christie’s London: 17-18 September

NEW YORK – On October 6, Christie’s will offer Pablo Picasso’s Tête de femme sur fond jaune, 18 July 1934 ($8-12 million), as a highlight of its 20th Century Evening Sale. Picasso kept the present example in his personal collection for the duration of his life – a testament to the importance that it held for him – and it remained in his family’s possession following his death, until 2013.

The sale on October 6 marks Tête de femme sur fond jaune’s first appearance at auction.

More information on the 20th Century Evening Sale may be viewed here. Giovanna Bertazzoni, Vice-Chairman, 20th and 21st Century Art, Christie’s, remarked:

“It is a privilege to be able to offer this colourful, intimate portrait of Marie-Thérèse Walter, painted in the golden years of their love, alongside the enigmatic and magisterial depiction of Dora Maar in the 1941 Femme dans un fauteuil. Seen side by side, these portraits offer a fascinating window into the coexisting aspects of Picasso’s personality and show the astonishing versatility and extraordinary depth of his portraiture.”

In 1927, Picasso met Marie-Thérèse Walter, opening with: “You have an interesting face. I would like to do a portrait of you. I feel we are going to do great things together.” These now infamous lines were Picasso’s introduction to the young, golden haired woman he met one January evening outside the Galeries Lafayette in Paris. With her youthful innocence, luminous vitality and statuesque form, Marie-Thérèse Walter would become one of Picasso’s greatest muses; her presence, image, and the overwhelming desire she aroused in him inspiring an ecstatic outpouring of works that more than fulfilled the artist’s prediction.

About the author

Staff Writer

Leave a Comment

Pin It on Pinterest

error: Content is protected !!