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Lot 59 |Collection particulière parisienne
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Nu endormi
Closed22 March 2018
Price Realised
EUR 150,000
More Information
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Nu endormi
graphite sur papier
25.9 x 34.9 cm.
Exécuté en 1931
pencil on paper
10 ¼ x 13 ¾ in.
Executed in 1931
Nu endormi
graphite sur papier
25.9 x 34.9 cm.
Exécuté en 1931
pencil on paper
10 ¼ x 13 ¾ in.
Executed in 1931
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Nu endormi
graphite sur papier
25.9 x 34.9 cm.
Exécuté en 1931
pencil on paper
10 ¼ x 13 ¾ in.
Executed in 1931
Nu endormi
graphite sur papier
25.9 x 34.9 cm.
Exécuté en 1931
pencil on paper
10 ¼ x 13 ¾ in.
Executed in 1931
Atelier de l'artiste.
Succession de l'artiste.
Acquis auprès de celle-ci par le propriétaire actuel.
Succession de l'artiste.
Acquis auprès de celle-ci par le propriétaire actuel.
C’est en 1927 que l’artiste, transporté par la fascination des surréalistes pour “l’amour fou”, aperçoit Marie-Thérèse Walter et l’aborde à la sortie des Galeries Lafayette. Il lui prononce ces mots, qu’elle rapportera plus tard : «Je suis Picasso! Vous et moi allons faire de grandes choses ensemble » (M.-T. Walter cité in B. Farrell, ‘Picasso: His Women: The Wonder Is that He Found So Much Time to Paint’ in Life, 27 décembre 1968, p. 74). Peu de temps après naît une liaison secrète qui influencera toute son œuvre, bien que la muse n’investisse les toiles de l’artiste qu’à compter de 1931. Picasso aime alors à représenter Marie-Thérèse endormie. En posant sur elle ce regard romantique et sensuel, le peintre laisse transparaître l’érotisme langoureux de leur vie dans son château isolé tout en dévoilant le caractère de sa bien-aimée. En effet, on dit de Marie-Thérèse qu’elle adore dormir, habitude qui ravit Picasso et le pousse à écrire dans l’un de ses poèmes en prose en 1935 : «Je l’aime maintenant qu’elle dort et que je ne vois autre chose de loin que son miel» (Picasso, 21 octobre 1935, cité in J. Rothenberg, Pablo Picasso: The Burial of the Count of Orgaz & other poems, Cambridge, 2004, p. 36). Si Nu couché constitue une image idéale de l’amante de Picasso, l'œuvre témoigne également de la nature de leur relation, mais surtout de l’intense brasier de création que fait naître son influence sur l’artiste, depuis peu quinquagénaire mais toujours empli d’une énergie et d’une passion que l’on ne peut ignorer devant la présente œuvre.
It was in 1927 that the artist, in part inspired by the Surrealists' fascination for l'amour fou, had seen Marie-Thérèse Walter and approached her outside the Galeries Lafayette and said, as she herself would later recall: "I am Picasso! You and I are going to do great things together!" (M.-T. Walter, quoted in B. Farrell, ‘Picasso: His Women: The Wonder Is that He Found So Much Time to Paint’ in Life, 27 December 1968, p. 74). Within a short amount of time, they had embarked upon a clandestine affair that would have a profound influence on his artwork. However, it wasn't until 1931 that he began to spend a significant amount of time with her, and she in turn infused in his paintings and sculptures in every incarnation. Picasso's frequent portrayals of Marie-Thérèse sleeping provided the ideal platform for his eloquent, sensual, romantic visions of her, hinting at the languid eroticism of their lifestyle in the secluded château, while also tapping into her character. It is said that Marie-Thérèse loved to sleep, a quality that pleased Picasso; as he wrote in one of the freely associative prose poems he began to compose in 1935: "How much I love her now that she’s asleep and I can see no more than just her honey from afar" (Picasso, 21 October 1935, quoted in J. Rothenberg, Pablo Picasso: The Burial of the Count of Orgaz & other poems, Cambridge, 2004, p. 36). Nu couché, then, provides an insight into the character of Picasso's lover, the nature of their relationship, and crucially the intense furnace of creation that was brought about by her rejuvenating influence on the artist, who had recently turned fifty but was still filled with a vigor and passion utterly evident in the present drawing.
It was in 1927 that the artist, in part inspired by the Surrealists' fascination for l'amour fou, had seen Marie-Thérèse Walter and approached her outside the Galeries Lafayette and said, as she herself would later recall: "I am Picasso! You and I are going to do great things together!" (M.-T. Walter, quoted in B. Farrell, ‘Picasso: His Women: The Wonder Is that He Found So Much Time to Paint’ in Life, 27 December 1968, p. 74). Within a short amount of time, they had embarked upon a clandestine affair that would have a profound influence on his artwork. However, it wasn't until 1931 that he began to spend a significant amount of time with her, and she in turn infused in his paintings and sculptures in every incarnation. Picasso's frequent portrayals of Marie-Thérèse sleeping provided the ideal platform for his eloquent, sensual, romantic visions of her, hinting at the languid eroticism of their lifestyle in the secluded château, while also tapping into her character. It is said that Marie-Thérèse loved to sleep, a quality that pleased Picasso; as he wrote in one of the freely associative prose poems he began to compose in 1935: "How much I love her now that she’s asleep and I can see no more than just her honey from afar" (Picasso, 21 October 1935, quoted in J. Rothenberg, Pablo Picasso: The Burial of the Count of Orgaz & other poems, Cambridge, 2004, p. 36). Nu couché, then, provides an insight into the character of Picasso's lover, the nature of their relationship, and crucially the intense furnace of creation that was brought about by her rejuvenating influence on the artist, who had recently turned fifty but was still filled with a vigor and passion utterly evident in the present drawing.
Specialist note
Maya Widmaier-Picasso a confirmé l'authenticité de cette œuvre.
Claude Picasso a confirmé l'authenticité de cette œuvre.
Claude Picasso a confirmé l'authenticité de cette œuvre.