Pablo Picasso, Femme assise (Seated Woman), 1955 |
|
| Artist: | Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973) |
|---|---|
| Title: | Femme assise (Seated Woman), 1955 |
| Reference: | Czwiklitzer 104, Rodrigo 68 |
| Medium: | Original Color Lithograph |
| Image Size: | 36 1/5 in x 23 3/5 in (92 cm x 60 cm) |
| Sheet Size: | 40 3/5 in x 27 in (103 in x 68.5 cm) |
| Framed Size: | approx. 50 in x 37 in (127 cm x 94 cm) |
| Edition: | Numbered 76/100 in the lower left margin; bearing printed inscription above edition number: 'MOURLOT LITH.' |
| Signature: | This work is signed by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) in pencil in the lower right margin. |
| Condition: | This work is in excellent condition with rich color. |
| ID # | w-3943 |
Depicting Picasso's muse and lover Dora Maar, a painter and photographer in her own right, this work beguiles the viewer. Its abstracted imagery recalls the artist's seminal painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907), a canvas that secured his place in art history. Femme assise is a half-length portrait showing Dora with her arms framing her body; in one arm she holds a piece of fruit. Her eyes, set on different levels, are large and somewhat haunting. They hold the viewer's gaze, and one can only imagine what it must have been like to be in Picasso's place, meeting her look. The tight margins and defined, close space of the yellow room enforce this sense of intimacy, hinting at deeper, more complicated layers of emotion.
Created in 1955, this original color lithograph is hand-signed by the artist in the lower right and numbered 76/100 in the lower left. Mourlot was the printer, and created this work after the original oil on canvas entitled Woman's Face (Dora Maar), painted by Picasso in 1944. The poster was commissioned for a 1955 exhibition of the artist's work at the Musée des art décoratifs, Paris.
Provenance:
Private collection, Switzerland.
Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
This work is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work).
1. Czwiklitzer, Christopher. Pablo Picasso: Plakate 1923-1973. Munich: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, 1981. Illustrated as catalogue no. 104.
2. Christopher, Picasso's Posters, 1971. Another example of the work is listed and illustrated in this catalogue raisonné as cat. no. 92 and detailed on pg. 318.
3. Rodrigo, Luis Carlos. Picasso: in his posters, image and work. Spain: Arte Ediciones, 1992. Listed and illustrated on pp. 104-05 as catalogue no. 038.
4. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.
About the Framing:
Framed to archival museum grade conservation standards, this piece is presented in a complementary moulding with silk-wrapped mats and optical-grade Plexiglas.
