Dubai hosts Picasso’s masterpiece, the inspiring “Woman of the Hour”.

2023-09-18 22:05:47

Sotheby’s revealed that it will display one of the masterpieces of the international artist Picasso, the painting “Woman of the Hour”, for the first time outside the United States, with Dubai being the first stop on its global tour.

Sotheby’s Dubai indicated that the painting is a portrait of Marie-Therese Walter, painted in 1932, and its value is estimated at more than $120 million. It will be displayed at the house’s headquarters in the Dubai International Financial Center on the 25th and 26th of this month.

Katia Nonno-Bois, head of Sotheby’s in the UAE, said: “We feel proud to unveil a masterpiece of such importance in the Emirates, as it will be the first stop on the painting’s global tour.”

She added, “The painting is one of the most important modern works of art that we have offered for sale at a public auction. It is also the perfect work of art that highlights our efforts and confirms our commitment to providing the best arts and culture to the region.”

Boyes continued, “In 2020, we displayed a painting by Sandro Botticelli, valued at more than $80 million, and it topped the headlines as the most expensive painting ever offered in the Middle East by an auction house. Since then, we have exhibited a range of works by painters such as Boeti, Kandinsky, Warhol and others. The appearance of Picasso’s painting and its display at our house in Dubai represents an exceeding of the record set by Botticelli’s painting, and it also represents the first time that a painting of this artistic value has been displayed by one of the greats of art in the Emirates.”

One of the first major works purchased by art collector Emily Fisher Landau, Picasso’s painting is a masterpiece. Painted in 1932 (Picasso’s miraculous year), it is full of yet joyful sentimental abandon. It is not only a distinguished work of art painted in a year that witnessed an artistic boom for Picasso, but rather it is a prominent creative work in the story of Western art, according to the head of the Impressionist and Modern Art Department at Sotheby’s in the Americas, Julian Dawes.

Emily Fisher Landau (1920-1923) purchased this painting in 1968, at the beginning of her collecting journey. The purchase was a bold move for a new art collector, but she knew it was an unmissable painting and promptly purchased it from the Pace Gallery. It remained the cornerstone of her collection for more than five decades, hanging above the mantelpiece in her New York home.

The painting depicts Marie-Thérèse Walter (the artist’s golden muse and the subject of many of his most accomplished paintings).

The record price for a Picasso artwork at auction was set in 2015 at $179 million.

• On the 25th and 26th of this month, the painting will be displayed at Sotheby’s Dubai.

• 1932 is the year in which Picasso painted this painting, which is valued at $120 million.

Rolex lover

“Woman of the Hour” contains an important feature, which is the watch that Picasso clearly placed on Marie-Thérèse’s wrist. Of the many paintings he painted during his long career, only three, including this one, contain a clock. However, wristwatches were objects of great importance to him, as Picasso had a great passion for exceptional watches, and he owned three of the most important of them. In the world, they are Rolex, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Patek Philippe. In this painting, Marie-Thérèse is wearing one of his precious watches. At the same time, the presence of the clock refers to the centuries-old tradition of vanitas painting, with its references to the transience of love and life.

In his prime

The head of the Impressionist and Modern Art Department at Sotheby’s in the Americas, Julian Dawes, told Al-Emarat Al-Youm regarding the painting “Woman of the Hour” that will be displayed in Dubai: “This masterpiece is distinguished as one of the distinctive pieces in Pablo Picasso’s career, which he presented at the height of his career.” “The stage to which the painting belongs is that it belongs to the most expensive works in the artist’s career.”

He added that the painting highlights the golden relationship that brought the artist together with Marie-Thérèse Walter, since their first meeting in 1927, and how it matured until they had their baby, Maya. She noted that it is the first time that this painting has traveled to the Middle East, as it has not left the United States since it was displayed there in 1968. It will also begin its global tour from Dubai to countries including London, Hong Kong, and Taipei.

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