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Standing Figure
Pablo Picasso (Spanish (worked in France), 1881–1973)
Spanish
1908
Medium/Technique
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
150.2 x 100.3 cm (59 1/8 x 39 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Juliana Cheney Edwards Collection
Accession Number58.976
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsPaintings
This painting of a nude woman with her arms crossed behind her head was created during a key period of invention and experimentation, as Picasso began to construct his paintings in a new way. The figure is translated into simplified, geometric forms, reflecting Picasso's interest in the art of Africa and Oceania. Using only a few colors, he focuses our attention on the intersection of these forms, linking figure and ground in a dynamic, curving rhythm.
InscriptionsReverse of original support: Picasso
Provenance1909, sold by the artist to Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler (b. 1884 - d. 1979), Paris [see note 1]; June 13-14, 1921, Kahnweiler sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris, lot 83, to "Winberg" [see note 2]. Possibly Carroll Carstairs (dealer; b. 1888 - d. 1948), Carstairs Gallery, New York and/or Georges Keller (dealer; b. 1899 - d. 1981), Carstairs Gallery, New York [see note 3]. Private collection, Paris. By 1958, Galerie Nathan, Zurich; 1958, sold by Galerie Nathan to MFA. (Accession Date: October 9, 1958)
NOTES:
[1] According to letters of March 7, 1961 and March 18, 1961 from Kahnweiler to Mrs. Emay Buck of the MFA in curatorial file. This painting was among the possessions of Kahnweiler that were sequestered by the French government as legalized retribution against German citizens in the wake of World War I.
[2] The buyer's name is annotated in a copy of the auction catalogue (reproduction in MFA curatorial file).
[3] According to information provided by the Galerie Nathan, dealer Carroll Carstairs (d. 1948) may have owned the painting or a share in the painting. According to the Carstairs Data Project, before October 1950 it was in the possession of Georges Keller, who became director of Carstairs Gallery. At the time the painting was purchased, it was said to come from a private collection in Paris.
NOTES:
[1] According to letters of March 7, 1961 and March 18, 1961 from Kahnweiler to Mrs. Emay Buck of the MFA in curatorial file. This painting was among the possessions of Kahnweiler that were sequestered by the French government as legalized retribution against German citizens in the wake of World War I.
[2] The buyer's name is annotated in a copy of the auction catalogue (reproduction in MFA curatorial file).
[3] According to information provided by the Galerie Nathan, dealer Carroll Carstairs (d. 1948) may have owned the painting or a share in the painting. According to the Carstairs Data Project, before October 1950 it was in the possession of Georges Keller, who became director of Carstairs Gallery. At the time the painting was purchased, it was said to come from a private collection in Paris.
Copyright© 2011 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.