Galerie Beyeler, Basel
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1989

Winterthur, Kunstmuseum Winterthur; Basel, Galerie Beyeler & Cologne, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Picasso, 90 Zeichnungen und farbige Arbeiten, 1971-72, no. 70, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Basel, Galerie Beyeler, Picasso. 1881-1981. A Centennial Selection, 1981, no. 113, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Vienna, Rathaus Wien, Picasso in Wien, 1981-82, no. 78, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Basel, Galerie Beyeler, Picasso. Der Maler und seine Modelle, 1986, no. 94, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Salzburg, Galerie Academia, Homage à Espana, 1989
Chemnitz, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Picasso und die Frauen, 2002, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Christian Zervos, Pablo Picasso, œuvres de 1969, Paris, 1976, vol. XXXI, no. 400, illustrated pl. 114
The Picasso Project, Picasso's Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings and Sculpture. The Sixties III, 1968-1969, San Francisco, 2003, no. 69-405, illustrated p. 232

Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down, hinged to the mount in the top two corners, floating in the mount. All four edges are deckled. There are signs of a fixative having been applied to areas of the right hand figure. Apart from some minor time staining and light studio dirt to the sheet, this work is in good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate 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. 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."

Pablo Picasso's œuvre in the late 1960s combines both the self-aggrandisement of his self-portraits and the voracious appetite of a man coming to terms with his own mortality. His output in the late 60s was seemingly limitless, with thousands of canvases and drawings executed in just a few years before his death in 1973. The reason for his astonishing productivity in these later years can be attributed to aꦓ latent sense of the end approaching; not only of his career as the seminal art💜ist of his time but also of his life - in 1969, when the present work was executed, he was 88 years old.

The present work represents two voluptuous nudes, executed in such a way as to fill the sheet and thus expose fully these two stunning subjects to both the artist, as he draws, and the viewer. Here Picasso is drawing as much for his own pleasure and enjoyment as he is for the viewer. Gone are the restrictions, however small, of a younger artist with a point to prove; Picasso is working not as a means to an end but as an artist with a positive addicton to the working process itself. The present work is a joyful, exuberant portrayal of Picasso's insatiable appetite for art, life and, of course, the fairer sex.

Comp: 358L10005_COMP
Pablo Picasso, Le Baiser, oil on canvas, 1969, Private Collection, sold: Sotheby's, London, 3ꦓrd June 2003, lot 26