Algerian women ( French Les Femmes d'Alger ) - a series of 15 paintings and drawings by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso . Her creation was inspired by the canvas of 1834 by the French painter Eugene Delacroix Algerian women in their chambers ( fr. Femmes d'Alger dans leur appartement ). [1] The series is part of a series of works by Picasso on the work of artists whom he admired. [2]
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| Pablo Picasso | ||
| Algerian women (Version O). . 1955 year | ||
| Les Femmes d'Alger (Version O) | ||
| Oil on canvas . 114 × 146.4 cm | ||
| Private collection of Hamad bin Jashim bin Jaber Al Thani , Doha ( Qatar ) | ||
The entire series of Algerian women was purchased by Victor and Sally Ghantsy from the Louise Leris Gallery in Paris for $ 212,500 in June 1956 [3] 10 paintings and drawings from the series were later sold to the Saydenberg Gallery, Ghanses retained the versions of “C”, “H” , “K”, “M” and “O” [4] . Today the paintings and drawings of the series are kept in various museums and private collections.
History
In December 1954, Picasso began to create a series of free variations on the painting of the Delacroix Algerian women in their chambers . Picasso began the first version of the series 6 weeks after the death of Henri Matisse , his friend and at the same time rival in art for a long time. Thus, the “eastern” motive of this series has no less close associations with Matisse’s work than with Delacroix. Matisse is known for images of languid, sensual women, odalisks (the French word for women from the harem of the Turkish Sultan). Picasso joked about this: "When Matisse died, he left his odalisque to me." Jacqueline Rock , the then beloved of Picasso, very often portrayed him in the image of Odalisque in 1955-1956 [5] . In addition, a striking similarity was observed between the profile of Jacqueline and one of the seated Maurits on the canvas of Delacroix.
In 1955, Picasso acquired Villa California in Cannes . Picasso explained this purchase to his biographer Pierre De: “I thought so much about Algerian women that I bought California.”
One of the first who noted the return of Picasso to former heights in his work in "Algerian Women" was a British art historian and collector Douglas Cooper , who visited Villa California in July 1955. He enthusiastically wrote about what Alfred Barr saw there in April 1956.
Famous Versions
Version C
“Version C” was sold in 1988, shortly after the death of Victor Ganz [4] .
Version H
Version H was written on January 24, 1955. Sold for $ 7.15 million in November 1997, as part of the Ganz collection, at Christie's in New York [6] . Now it is stored in the collection of Giuseppe Nachmad , in Switzerland [7] .
Version J
Version J was sold at Sotheby's in London in 2006 for $ 18.6 million. Now belongs to the collection of Helly Nahmad [8] .
Version K
"Version K" was sold for $ 6.6 million in November 1997, as part of the Ganz collection, at Christie's in New York [9] .
Version L
“Version L” was acquired by the Berggruin Museum in Berlin in 2011 for $ 11.4 million [10] [11] .
Version M
"Version M" was sold for $ 10 million in November 1997, as part of the Ganz collection, at Christie's in New York [9] .
Version N
“Version N” is kept at the University of Washington Art Museum in St. Louis , acquired by the Steinberg Foundation in 1960 for the university [12] .
Version O
"Version O", the last and most famous of the paintings in the series, was written in 1955 [1] .
The painting was sold for $ 31.9 million in November 1997, as part of the Ganz collection, at Christie's auction in New York. “Version O” was bought by Libby Howe, a British art dealer, for a Saudi collector who lived in London and wished to remain anonymous [13] .
The second time, “Version O” was auctioned at Christie's in New York in May 2015. [1] The presale price of the painting was $ 140 million. At the same time, Three sketches for the portrait of Lucian Freud Francis Bacon , sold in 2013 and holding a record price for open auctions of $ 142.4 million, had a starting price of $ 85 million [14] It was obvious that “Algerian women” will surpass this record. As a result, the picture was sold for $ 179.4 million [15] . This amount was paid by the former Prime Minister of Qatar, Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani [16] .
See also
- Three Drafts for a Portrait of Lucian Freud
- Scream (picture by Munch)
- Nude, green leaves and bust
- Boy with a pipe
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Mark Brown . Van Gogh, Picasso and others go on display before New York sales jamboree , The Guardian (April 10, 2015). Date of treatment September 9, 2015.
- ↑ Picasso: Challenging the Past National Gallery p 109-114
- ↑ Pablo Picasso - Les femmes d'Alger (Version "O") . Christie's . Date of treatment September 9, 2015.
- ↑ 1 2 Christie's to Offer Picasso's Iconic Masterpiece of the 1950s . Christie's . Date of treatment September 9, 2015.
- ↑ Matisse Picasso: room guide, room 12 . tate.org.uk.
- ↑ Pablo Picasso - Les femmes d'Alger (Version "H") . Christie's . Date of treatment September 9, 2015.
- ↑ Picasso: Peace and Freedom: Room 5: The Women of Algiers Tate . Date of treatment September 9, 2015.
- ↑ Colin Gleadell . Market news: Elizabethan portraiture, Peter Doig, Picasso and more , The Daily Telegraph (November 28, 2006). Date of treatment September 9, 2015.
- ↑ 1 2 Walter Robinson. Ganz sale results . Artnet Date of treatment September 9, 2015.
- ↑ Kate Connolly . Pablo Picasso works draw art world to Berlin , The Guardian (June 7, 2013). Date of treatment September 9, 2015.
- ↑ International Council - Museum Berggruen Neopr . Museum Berggruen . International Council - Museum Berggruen. Date of treatment September 9, 2015.
- ↑ Les femmes d'Alger (Women of Algiers), Variation "N" . Kemper Art Museum . Date of treatment September 9, 2015.
- ↑ Prized Picasso Leads the Ganz Collection to a Record Auction of $ 206 Million , New York Times, November 11, 1997
- ↑ Scott Rayburn . A Picasso Is the Center of Attention at Christie's Auction , The New York Times (April 10, 2015). Date of treatment September 9, 2015.
- ↑ Picasso's Women of Algiers smashes auction record , BBC News Online (12 May 2015). Date of treatment September 9, 2015.
- ↑ Billionaire Qatari sheikh 'identified' as secret buyer of world record Picasso , The Daily Telegraph (May 21, 2015). Date of treatment September 9, 2015.