Galerie Rosengart, Lucerne

Christian Zervos, Pablo Picasso, Œuvres de 1920 à 1922, Paris, 1951, vol. IV, no. 235, illustrated pl. 82
The Picasso Project, Picasso's Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings and Sculpture. Neo-Classicism I, 1920-1921, San Fr🎐ancisco, 1995, no. 21-023, illustrated p. 171

Executed on buff-coloured laid paper, laid down on paper. The top and right edges are deckled. The edges remain visible when framed. There are tiny paper losses to the centre right of the bottom edge and to the upper right edge. Apart from slight spots of discolouration at intervals throughout, this work is in good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In May 1921, Pablo and Olga Picasso moved to Fontainebleau on the outskirts of Paris where they could lead a calm, more isolated life. It was from this refuge that Picasso painted some of his most important works in the 1920s.

'[Picasso] began to take interest in the mythology of Greek and Roman antiquity... his neo-classicism was, of course, part of a broad, complex reaction against the excesses and violent originalities of pre-war movements such as cubism, expressionism and primitivism. By 1920 cries of Back to Poussin! Back to Ingres! Back to Seurat rang through Paris... during his Italian trip in 1917 he visited Pompeii, and doubtless the museums of Classical art in Rome and Naples, though what he saw there seems to have affected his art very little for at least two or three years thereafter' (Alfred Barr, Picasso: Fifty Years of his Art, New York, 1966, p. 155).

The present work is a common theme of the period, given the recent birth of Paulo in February 1921. The sculptural composition and relaxed atmosphere exude a Classical idyll typical of the work of Poussin or Claude but without the Classical iconography that obviously appeared so dated following the early years of the 20th Century. In Mère et enfant Picasso shows us his embrace of the Classical style without the inhibitions 𓆏of its outdated themes.