Lot Essay
SOLD WITH A PHOTO-CERTIFICATE FROM MADAME MAYA WIDMAIER-PICASSO, DATED PARIS, LE 16 MAI 1998.
JOHN RICHARDSON HAS FURTHER KINDLY CONFIRMED THE AUTHENTICITY OF THIS WORK, STATING THAT HE IS IN POSSESSION OF THE SISTER PIECE (FIG. 1) AND WAS PRESENT WHEN THIS WORK WAS MADE. HE HAS RECALLED THAT AFTERNOON IN THE FOLLOWING WORDS:
"ON DECEMBER 14TH, 1960, DOUGLAS COOPER AND I WENT TO SEE PICASSO. HE SHOWED US A SERIES OF LARGE INK WASH DRAWINGS OF JACQUELINE (ZERVOS VOL 19, NO.S 386-398) THAT HE HAD RECENTLY EXECUTED, AND ASKED US WHICH OF THEM WE THOUGHT WAS THE STRONGEST. EACH OF US MADE OUR CHOICE; WHEREUPON PICASSO SAID: "THOSE ARE YOUR CHRISTMAS PRESENTS". SHORTLY AFTERWARDS THE NEW YORK DEALER, SAM KOOTZ AND HIS WIFE WERE USHERED INTO THE STUDIO. TO MAKE THEIR MOUTHS WATER, PICASSO SHOWED THE KOOTZES THE TWO DRAWINGS HE HAD JUST GIVEN US. THEN TO MAKE THEM EVEN MORE ENVIOUS, HE TOOK THE ONE HE HAD JUST GIVEN DOUGLAS AND SAID, "I THINK IT NEEDS A BIT MORE WORK" [...]. AT THIS POINT THE KOOTZES REALIZED THEY WERE GETTING NOTHING OUT OF THE ARTIST AND LEFT. PICASSO TOLD DOUGLAS THAT HE WANTED TO KEEP THE DRAWING IN ORDER TO REWORK IT. HENCE THE PENTIMENTS AND THE MODIFICATIONS (SUCH AS THE AREAS OF GREY WASH) AND THE SECOND DATE, WHICH CONFIRMS THE SECOND PHASE OF WORK. BOTH COOPER AND I NEGLECTED TO SEND THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THESE DRAWINGS TO CHRISTIAN ZERVOS, WHICH IS WHY THEY DO NOT FIGURE WITH THE REST OF THE SERIES IN HIS CATALOGUE".
THIS SERIES OF DRAWINGS INSPIRED A SERIES OF VARIATIONS BY ANDY WARHOL IN 1985. HIS WORKS WERE EXHIBITED AT THE GALERIE THADDEUS ROPAC, PARIS/SALZBURG IN 1987 AND ARE ILLUSTRATED IN ROPAC'S CATALOGUE.
JOHN RICHARDSON HAS FURTHER KINDLY CONFIRMED THE AUTHENTICITY OF THIS WORK, STATING THAT HE IS IN POSSESSION OF THE SISTER PIECE (FIG. 1) AND WAS PRESENT WHEN THIS WORK WAS MADE. HE HAS RECALLED THAT AFTERNOON IN THE FOLLOWING WORDS:
"ON DECEMBER 14TH, 1960, DOUGLAS COOPER AND I WENT TO SEE PICASSO. HE SHOWED US A SERIES OF LARGE INK WASH DRAWINGS OF JACQUELINE (ZERVOS VOL 19, NO.S 386-398) THAT HE HAD RECENTLY EXECUTED, AND ASKED US WHICH OF THEM WE THOUGHT WAS THE STRONGEST. EACH OF US MADE OUR CHOICE; WHEREUPON PICASSO SAID: "THOSE ARE YOUR CHRISTMAS PRESENTS". SHORTLY AFTERWARDS THE NEW YORK DEALER, SAM KOOTZ AND HIS WIFE WERE USHERED INTO THE STUDIO. TO MAKE THEIR MOUTHS WATER, PICASSO SHOWED THE KOOTZES THE TWO DRAWINGS HE HAD JUST GIVEN US. THEN TO MAKE THEM EVEN MORE ENVIOUS, HE TOOK THE ONE HE HAD JUST GIVEN DOUGLAS AND SAID, "I THINK IT NEEDS A BIT MORE WORK" [...]. AT THIS POINT THE KOOTZES REALIZED THEY WERE GETTING NOTHING OUT OF THE ARTIST AND LEFT. PICASSO TOLD DOUGLAS THAT HE WANTED TO KEEP THE DRAWING IN ORDER TO REWORK IT. HENCE THE PENTIMENTS AND THE MODIFICATIONS (SUCH AS THE AREAS OF GREY WASH) AND THE SECOND DATE, WHICH CONFIRMS THE SECOND PHASE OF WORK. BOTH COOPER AND I NEGLECTED TO SEND THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THESE DRAWINGS TO CHRISTIAN ZERVOS, WHICH IS WHY THEY DO NOT FIGURE WITH THE REST OF THE SERIES IN HIS CATALOGUE".
THIS SERIES OF DRAWINGS INSPIRED A SERIES OF VARIATIONS BY ANDY WARHOL IN 1985. HIS WORKS WERE EXHIBITED AT THE GALERIE THADDEUS ROPAC, PARIS/SALZBURG IN 1987 AND ARE ILLUSTRATED IN ROPAC'S CATALOGUE.