Description:Created in 1938, this work was included in the pamphlet titled Solidarité which featured six other artists in addition to Pablo Picasso and a poem by Paul Eluard. Printed by L’Atelier 17, Paris on Montval laid paper and numbered 88/150 in pencil in the lower left margin. Hand signed by Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973) in pencil in the lower right margin.
This whimsical and coquette nature of Dora Maar is one splashed with humour and light-heartedness. Her faint smile and blushed cheeks is coupled with her finger at her lips – characteristic of her friendly sentiment and good nature. Such portraits of Dora Maar are rare, moreover, this particular and style of Picasso’s etched line during this period is one of transition, taking him from that of a Surrealist nature and into his more later, Cubist style.
According to P. Cramer:
“The etching that Picasso contributed shows the head of a woman seen in profile, but whose eyes and nostrils are fully visible. By her hat and her sparkling eyes we recognize Dora Maar, the young photographer and friend of the most politically committed Surrealists, who had met Picasso in 1936 through Paul Eluard” (p. 86).
Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
It 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. Bloch, G. (1984). Pablo Picasso, Tome I Catalogue de l’œuvre grave et lithographié 1904 – 1967. Editions Kornfeld et Cie: Berne. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 317 on pg. 97.
2. Cramer, P., et. al. (1983). Pablo Picasso, The Illustrated Books: Catalogue Raisonné. Patrick Cramer, Publisher: Geneva. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 29 on pgs. 86-7.
About the Framing:
Conservation framed with archival materials, this work is set in a beautifully carved, Baroque-inspired gold frame. The immense texture of this work is highlighted with the simple organic and curved elements within the moulding. Contrasting hues of the etched work against the gold moulding enhance and accentuate the rich tones within this piece. Completed with white, linen-wrapped mats and a matching gold inner fillet, this work is set behind an archival Plexiglas® cover.
