The work, which represents Picasso’s mistress and muse, Marie-Thérèse Walter, has almost doubled the amount of the initial estimate provided by Christie’s, namely $ 55 million.
The painting “Woman seated near a window (Marie-Thérèse)” by Pablo Picasso was sold Thursday for 103.4 million dollars during an auction organized at Christie’s, in New York.
The 1.46m by 1.14m canvas, painted in 1932, sold for $ 90 million, raised to 103.4 when added fees and commissions, after a more than 19-minute battle between collectors.
The work, which represents Picasso’s mistress and muse, Marie-Thérèse Walter, has almost doubled the amount of the initial estimate provided by Christie’s, namely $ 55 million.
Only 14 paintings topped $ 100 million at auction
The sale confirms the vitality of the art market, which has not really suffered from the pandemic even if it has been slowed down by the uncertainty about the health and economic situation, but also the special status of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973).
The general good performance of Thursday’s auctions, which totaled $ 481 million, “signals a real return to normal,” said Bonnie Brennan, president of Christie’s America, at an online press conference . “The art market is back on track.”
The “Seated Woman” was acquired only eight years ago by its current owner, at a sale in London, for 28.6 million pounds, or about 44.8 million dollars, less than half of the price. price offered Thursday.
Five works by Picasso have now crossed the symbolic threshold of $ 100 million. Even before this sale, he was already alone at the head of this very closed club, with four paintings, including “The women of Algiers”, which holds the record for the Spanish artist, at 179.4 million dollars, in May. 2015.
“It speaks to us
“He’s an artist, but he’s also seven artists at a time,” commented Giovanna Bertazzoni, vice president of the department’s 20th and 21st Centuries after the sale, alluding to the artist’s various periods and the evolution of his style.
Her personal story, her aura, her love stories still resonate with the present times, according to her, even if some of her canvases were painted over 100 years ago. “It’s still incredibly contemporary,” she added. “It speaks to us.”
Only 14 paintings exceeded $ 100 million at auction. Besides Picasso, the Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani is the only one to have more than one on the list, with two copies.
This is the first time in two years that a work has reached this level, since a copy of the series of “Meules” by Claude Monet had reached 110.7 million at Sotheby’s, already in New York.
On Tuesday, the canvas “In This Case” by American painter Jean-Michel Basquiat sold for $ 93.1 million at Christie’s during the first of the big spring sales, one of the two most important meetings in the world. auctions.
The year 1932, in which the “Seated Woman” was produced, is often considered the best and most prolific of Picasso’s career. Several major exhibitions have been devoted to this one year of the work of the Spanish master.
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