371
Francis Picabia
(French, 1879-1953)
Satyre
Estimate: $4,000-$6,000
Sold
$6,500
Live Auction
What Do You See? The Collection of Sidney Rothberg, Part IV
Size
12 7/8 x 10 in. (32.7 x 25.4cm)
Description
Francis Picabia
(French, 1879-1953)
Satyre
pencil on paper
dedicated à Marie d'Espie de la Hire/très affectueusement/Francis Picabia (lower right)
12 7/8 x 10 in. (32.7 x 25.4cm)
The Collection of Sidney Rothberg, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Condition
In overall good condition. The sheet is affixed to the verso of the mat via two pieces of white linen tape at upper left and upper right corners verso (with remnants of old white paper tape running along the top outer edge verso). The sheet is slightly toned, with some smudges visible in the background at upper right and upper left quadrant (likely from handling). Brown surface soiling, paired with minuscule foxing marks at bottom right, just above the inscription. The edges are slightly uneven, and with evidence of handling (discoloration and accumulated grime). Minor creases visible at center right, in the background, and along the bottom outer edge - likely due to handling as the paper is very thin and quite brittle. When examined from verso, we notice several parallel horizontal paper tears on the proper right outer edge (covered by the mat), the longest of which being about 1 1/2 in. (4 tears total). Additional images available upon request.
Signature
dedicated à Marie d'Espie de la Hire/très affectueusement/Francis Picabia (lower right)
Provenance
We wish to thank the Comité Picabia for confirming the authenticity of the present Lot, which will be included in the artist's Catalogue Raisonné and will be accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.Lot Essay:Marie de La Hire, to whom the present drawing is dedicated, was a novelist, poet, and painter closely connected to the avant-garde circles of early 20th-century Paris. Married to the writer Adolphe d’Espie, she was a close friend of Francis Picabia and established her studio near his. A perceptive supporter of his work, she became one of his earliest champions. In 1920, she authored one of the first monographs on Picabia, published by the avant-garde press Povolozky-La Cible, marking a significant early critical study of his art. De La Hire also contributed to Picabia’s seminal collaborative work L’Œil Cacodylate, from 1921, a radical piece that invited friends and collaborators to inscribe messages directly onto the canvas, thus challenging conventional notions of authorship and originality in art. Her dynamic involvement in the artistic community was cut short by her untimely death in a car accident in 1925.