The article was originally written by Asra Shaheen for AuctionDaily publication
Five works by the Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso have crossed the $100 million threshold at a recent Christie’s auction. The outstanding sale performance reinforces the importance of art market even in challenging times such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Above all, it also validates Picasso’s influential position in the international art arena.
One of the most significant artists of the 20th century, Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso executed a series of ground-breaking paintings in the year 1932. These were mostly vibrant depictions of his clandestine lover, Marie-Thérèse Walter. One of these masterpieces, Femme assise près d’une fenêtre, is among the key highlights of the auction by Christie’s. Interestingly, the oil on canvas epitomizes the influence Picasso’s young muse had on his work in this period. The stylized painting depicts the seated figure of Marie-Thérèse, which is in total contrast to her dreamily reclining nude images in the past. Combining the artist’s painting and sculpture skills, this portrait illustrates Marie-Thérèse sitting upright with a sagacious gaze and a total command over everything around.
Claude Monet’s Waterloo Bridge, effet de brouillard also leads the sale. The oil on canvas is a part of his monumental series, Vues du Londres, which illustrates London’s famed foggy cityscapes. The founder of the French impressionist painting gives an ethereal and abstract effect to transform the fog-filled skylines of the city onto his canvas.
Another noteworthy lot is Paysage et personnages (La jupe rose) by Georges Seurat (1859-1891). The painting explores the intricacies of the landscape and the interplay of sunlight and shadows with the focus on a woman dressed in a pink skirt and jacket.
The article was originally written by Asra Shaheen for AuctionDaily publication
