Quatre personnages Pablo Picasso

• A typical theme in Picasso’s work: the female nude and the male voyeur • A tribute to Picasso’s printmaking; sharp pen strokes and soft brushstrokes are reminiscent of drypoint etchings with aquatint; the work was created at the same time as the famous print series ‘Suite 347’ • A mature late work from a highly productive phase in the artist’s career This pen drawing is a magnificent example of a favourite and recurring theme in Picasso’s work: the female nude and the male voyeur. The work was created during the final, artistically very productive years of Picasso’s life. In a loose triangular composition, we see three nudes – on the right, a seated female figure is shown facing the viewer; at the top, a woman lies on her stomach, her head resting pensively on her hands; whilst from the left, a naked man crawls into the picture on all fours. In contrast to the three nudes in this work, the figure on the right-hand edge is fully clothed and shown in profile; she is more of a spectator than an object of observation. This male figure has his right hand raised to his mouth and appears to be lost in thought, whilst the three figures seem like figments of his imagination or objects of his fantasy. Similar male observers appear throughout Picasso’s overall oeuvre, sometimes holding an instrument or a weapon, or even depicted as a painter with a brush. The man depicted is a very important figure in Picasso’s artistic oeuvre: his printer, Piero Crommelynck (1934–2001). From 1963 onwards, he and his brother Aldo Crommelynck set up a studio in Mougins, where Picasso was living at the time. Picasso’s overwhelming creative energy, combined with the Crommelynck brothers’ tremendous dedication and productivity, resulted in a vast number of prints, including proofs, variations and revisions, the results of which Picasso was able to see in record time. One product of this collaboration is the legendary Suite 347, a series of 347 etchings created with the help of the two printmakers between 16 March and 5 October 1968 at Picasso’s home, Notre-Dame-de-Vie, in Mougins. The artist drew this ink work just three days before the completion of this, the largest printmaking project of his life. In many respects, ‘Quatre personnages’ is also a tribute to Picasso’s prints. With the sharp lines of the pen strokes and the smudged areas of indian ink, the work is reminiscent of the effect of drypoint and aquatint etchings. The Crommelynck brothers endeavoured to make the printing process as smooth as possible for Picasso, delivering prepared printing plates to him every morning. Once Picasso had etched the plates, the brothers printed them immediately and sent them to the Galerie Leiris in Paris, where they were sold. This enabled Picasso to create an extensive and influential body of work in a remarkably short space of time. The resulting prints are among the last hand-signed prints that Picasso produced, and this drawing is a unique testament to the profound influence this technique had on Picasso. | 1881 Málaga - Mougins bei Cannes 1973 | Moderne Kunst | Arbeiten auf Papier | Nummer: 26x2482 | Provenance: Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris, verso auf der Rahmenrückseite mit dem Etikett; Herman C. Goldsmith, New York, verso auf der Rahmenrückseite mit zwei Etiketten; Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, verso auf der Rahmenrückseite mit dem Etikett; Evelyn Aimis Fine Art, Toronto, verso auf der Rahmenrückseite mit dem Etikett, bei Vorgenannter erworben; Privatsammlung, Kanada, 1989 bei Vorgenannter erworben; Christie’s, London 10.2.2005, Los 687; Privatsammlung, London, bei Vorgenannter erworben; Privatsammlung, Süddeutschland.

Estimación:€240,000

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