Picasso’s Granddaughter Is Selling a Trove of His Unique—and Highly Coveted—Ceramic Works at Sotheby’s London Next Month

A treasure trove of Picasso objects with a sterling
provenance—from the artist’s granddaughter Marina Picasso—is sure
to ignite excitement at Sotheby’s London’s Impressionist and modern
art sale next week.

Unlike the typical blockbuster seven- and eight-figure paintings
that often draw trophy hunters to evening sales, this is a much
more approachable and eclectic selection of works. Included are
Cubist drawings from the 1910s and a selection of unique ceramics
that reflect the artist’s fascination with faces and portraiture.
Prices range from £6,000 to £60,000 ($7,800 to $78,000).

The combined presale estimate for the lots in the sale, titled
“Tete a Tete,” is £799,000 to £1.1 million ($1—1.5 million). Two of
the 42 works on offer, both silver plates, have a separate
designation from the rest of the group since they are not unique,
and comprise the last two lots in the sale. The remaining 40 lots
are all unique works.

According to Sotheby’s, these objects
resided with Pablo Picasso for his entire life and were inherited
by Marina Picasso in 1973. Marina, the daughter of Picasso’s son
Paulo (from his first marriage to Russian ballet dancer Olga
Khokhlova), described her early life as miserable because Paulo, an
alcoholic, frequently had to beg his artist father for
money, according to the Telegraph.

Picasso never made a will, but when he passed away in 1973,
Marina inherited one fifth of his estate, or about 10,000 works of
art. She has sold work in the past, at times to raise money for
charity, through the late Swiss dealer and Picasso specialist Jan
Krugier.

Among the highlights of this latest offering is Femme
au collier (Portrait de Madame Rubinstein) (1923), which has
an estimate of £30,000 to £40,000 ($39,000 to $52,000). A
large, round, painted and glazed ceramic plate, Visage
(1965), is estimated at £25,000 to £35,000, and Visage de
profil (1959), brush and ink on paper, is also expected to
sell for £25,000 to £35,000 ($32,500 to $45,500).
Meanwhile, Visage Soliel, a bright yellow sun with a
face, on a ceramic square tile from 1956, is estimated to sell for
£10,000 to £15,000 ($13,000 to $19,500).

The post Picasso’s Granddaughter Is Selling a Trove of His
Unique—and Highly Coveted—Ceramic Works at Sotheby’s London Next
Month appeared first on artnet News.