Gallery 27, Genève
Gallery Art Point, Tokyo (acquis du précédent en juillet 1988)
Collection particulière, Japon (acquis du précédent 🐼à la fin des années 1980 ou début des années 1990)

Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down. The sheet is hinged to the overmount at the upper corners. The sheet is deckled. There are three flattened creases towards the lower right corners. Apart from some scattered tiny spots of foxing, this work is in very good original 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."

dated '25 mai 46' (upper left), pencil on paper. Drawn in 1946.

Fig. 1, Pablo Picasso, La Femme-fleur (Florence Gilot), 1946, huil💃e sur toile, Collection particulière

Fig. 2, Pablo Picasso, Femme dans un fauteuil, 1947, huile sur toile, Musée Picasso, Paris

 

Exécuté en mai 1946, ce portrait de Françoise est à l'image de la sérenité que l'artiste retrouve auprès de sa nouvelle compagne. Les dessins qui la représentent exaltent ses traits réguliers, la douceur de l'ovale de son visage et💯 l'expression décidée de son regard. Picasso portraiture ici celle qui deviendra la mère de ses enfants Claude et Paloma. Sa chevelure volumineuse et son apparence séduisante l'apparente à une fleur aux yeux de l'artiste.

"En 1943, [en effet], Picasso rencontre Françoise Gilot. Ils ne vivent ensemble qu'à partir d'avril 1946, et elle n'entre véritablement dans sa peinture qu'à partir de mai 46 avec le célèbre tableau de la femme-fleur (Fig. 1). En 1947, Picasso développe ce thème dans une série de dessins et de tableaux qui  présentent tous la même morphologie, une tige fine pour le corps, et de lourds seins ronds. Toutes les formes sont courbes et simplifiées en arabesques. Françoise représente pour Picasso la femme-fleur qui s'épanouit en soleil ou en pétales. Avec elle et pendant la période d'Antibes, Picasso inaugure un style simplifié et dépouillé, avec des formes géométriques élémentaires et des lignes pures. [...] Ce réseau de tensions formelles structure la composition, et crée de nouveaux rythmes plastiques" (Marie-Laure Bernadac, Picasso, une nouvelle dation (exhibition catalogue), Paris, 1990, no. 60).

 

Executed in May 1946, this portrait of Françoise expr꧅esses the serenity the artist experienced with his new companion. His drawings of her delight in her even features, the soft oval of her face and the determination of her gaze.  Here Picasso portrays his mistress, the future mother of his children Claude and Paloma, as a flower, inspired by her billowing hair and attractive looks.

"It was in 1943, in fact, that Picasso met Françoise Gilot. They did not live together until April 1946, however, and she was not a prominent feature in his painting until May 1946 when Picasso painted the renowned Femme-fleur. Picasso developed this motif throughout the following year in a series of drawings and paintings which each present a similarly constructed figure; a slender stem of a body with large, round breasts made up of sweeping curves and arabesques. For Picasso, Françoise was the femme-fleur whose beautiful petals blossomed and flourished in the sunshine. It was with her, during their time in Antibes, that Picasso first conceived of his unadorned and simplified style with its basic geometric forms and the purest of lines. [...] This web of definite contours gives structure to the composition, and generates innovative artistic rhythms" (Marie-Laure Bernadec, Picasso, une nouvelle dation (exhibition catalogue), Paris, 1990, no. 60).