“Picabia Alert” is a recurring feature that takes note of shows that feature work by the wily French artist Francis Picabia (1879–1953). Why Picabia? Because I love him and hopefully you do too, and because he is having a retrospective at the Kunsthaus Zurich and New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 2016.
Today’s Picabia alert takes us to London, where there are no less than eight Picabias—four paintings, three drawings, and one gouache on paper—on offer in upcoming sales at Sotheby’s and Christie’s. Public viewing hours for auctions tend to be quite brief, so act quickly. Particularly exciting is the fact that three of the paintings are from the delectable “Transparencies” series that the artist made in the years around 1930, overlaying fragments of images—beautiful women, classical statuary, foliage, an eight-eyed lamb of the apocalypse—one on top of the other. They’re dense with psychological turmoil and visual delectation. Enjoy.
Lunis, 1929–30, oil and mixed media on canvas,
25 5/8 x 20 5/8 in.
Sotheby's London Surrealist Art Evening Sale
Mi-Carême (Mid-Lent), circa 1925, ripolin and oil on canvas,
39 1/2 x 31 7/8 in.
Christie's London Art of the Surreal Evening Sale
Lunaris, circa 1929, oil, brush, ink, and black crayon on panel, 47 1/4 by 37 1/4 in.
Sotheby's London Surrealist Art Evening Sale
Espagnole et agneau de l'apocalypse, circa 1927–28, gouache, watercolor, brush, and ink on paper, 25 1/2 x 19 3/4 in.
Sotheby's London Surrealist Art Evening Sale
Cornély, 1922, gouache, pencil, brush, pen, and ink on paper, 23 1/2 x 28 1/2 in.
Sotheby's London Surrealist Art Evening Sale
Portrait d'homme, circa 1940–42, charcoal and pencil on paper, 12 1/8 by 9 3/8 in.
Sotheby's London Impressionist & Modern Art Day Sale
What men have on their minds, circa 1928–29, black crayon on paper, 12 1/8 x 8 7/8 in.
Christie's London Impressionist/Modern Works on Paper
Caricature, circa 1947–49, pen and blue ink on paper, 10 1/2 x 8 1/8 in.
Sotheby's London Impressionist & Modern Art Day Sale