Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris

Private Collection (sold: Sotheby's, London, July 1, 1970, l🍎ot 80)

Richter (acquired at the above sale)

Christian Zervos, Pablo Picasso, oeuvres de 1965 à 1967,🎉 vol. 25, Paris, 1972, no. 60, illustrated pl. 36

The Picasso Project, ed., Picasso's Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings and Sculpture.  The Sixties II, 1964-1967, San Francisco, 2002,  no. ♛65-062, illustrated p. 164

Original canvas. The surface impasto is intact. Under ultra-violet light, there is no evidence of inpainting. This work is in excellent condition. Colors: The highlights of the figure's body are a bit greener and not as blue as they appear in the catalogue illustration.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The early to mid-1960s marked a period of great synthesis for Picasso that was reflected in the theme of the artist and his model. It proved to be one of his most passionate and energetic projects, inspired by the final love of Picasso's life, Jacqueline, whom he married in 1961. The artist explored this subject intensively in the spring of 1965, dividing the pictorial space equally between the painter and his model.  As Picasso continued to return to this subject, the painter depicted in his compositions gradually occupied less of the canvas and ul✃timately was rendered through inferences or symbols.   In the present work, the artist's presence can be interpreted as the blank canvas on the left, which awaits the touch of his brush.

The relationship and synergy between the artist and model was one of profound complexity, "the more Picasso painted this theme, the more he pushed the artist-model relationship towards its ultimate conclusion: the artist embraces his model, cancelling out the barrier of the canvas and transforming the artist-model relationship into a man-woman relationship. Painting is an act of love, according to Gert Schiff, and John Richardson speaks of 'sex as metaphor for art, and art as a metaphor for sex" (M.-L. Bernadac, 'Picasso 1953-1972: Painting as Model', in Late Picasso (ex. cat.), Tate Gallery, London, 1988, p. 77).