(California/New York/Greek, 1893-1971)

Two Women by a Table, signed/numbered illegibly on verso, mixed media and collage on plywood panel, 18-5/8 x 23-1/2 in.; possibly original wood frame, 24-5/8 x 29-3/4 in.

Note: Varda studied art at L'Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris where he shared a studio with Georges Braque. Pablo Picasso, who lived nearby, was shown Varda's work and is said to have remarked, "You are an academic painter. You are not a contemporary painter." The comment propelled Varda to drop out of the school and turn to surrealism, Dada, and cubism, a style reflected in his collages.

In 1945-1946 Varda taught a summer session at Black Mountain College in North Carolina.

Provenance: Property from The Estate of Peter Rosenwald

not removed from frame, small splits in wood at edge lower left; frame with abrasions, linen liner stained