PICASSO'S LA LECTURE SELLS FOR RECORD £25,241,250

TONIGHT, SOTHEBY'S IMPRESSIONIST & MODERN EVENING SALE WAS LED BY PABLO PICASSO'S ICONIC 1932 PAINTING OF MARIE-THERESE WALTER, LA LECTURE, WHICH SOLD TO A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR £25,241,250 /$40,711,612, MORE THAN DOUBLE THE LOW ESTIMATE OF £12 – 18 MILLION/$18.5-27.8 MILLION. FOLLOWING A HEATED BIDDING CONTEST THAT LASTED SIX MINUTES AMONG AT LEAST SEVEN BIDDERS, BOTH ON THE PHONE AND IN THE SALESROOM, THE WORK FINALLY SOLD TO AN ANONYMOUS BUYER BIDDING OVER THE TELEPHONE. ACHIEVING A STRONG TOTAL OF £68,834,400 / $111,023,004, WELL WITHIN THE PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £55,630,000 - 79,250,000, THE SALE WAS 84.5% SOLD BY VALUE. THE SALE OF LA LECTURE BROUGHT THE PAINTING TO EUROPE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE IT WAS PAINTED IN 1932. IT IS ONE OF A SERIES OF DEFINING WORKS IN THE ARTIST'S OEUVRE IN WHICH HE INTRODUCES HIS YOUNG LOVER MARIE-THERESE WALTER AS A RECOGNIZABLE FIGURE. THE COUPLE'S RELATIONSHIP WAS KEPT A WELL-GUARDED SECRET FOR MANY YEARS, BOTH ON THE ACCOUNT OF THE FACT THAT PICASSO WAS THEN STILL MARRIED TO OLGA AND BECAUSE OF MARIE-THERES'S AGE, SHE WAS 17 AT THE TIME THEIR RELATIONSHIP BEGAN. UNTIL THE PERIOD IN WHICH THE WORK WAS PAINTED, MARIE-THERESE ONLY EVER APPEARED IN PICASSO'S WORKS IN CODE, HER FEATURES OFTEN EMBEDDED IN THE BACKGROUND OF HIS PAINTINGS. BUT BY THE END OF 1931, PICASSO COULD NO LONGER REPRESS THE CREATIVE IMPULSE THAT HIS LOVER INSPIRED, AND OVER CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR 1931 AND '32, MARIE-THERESE EMERGED, FOR THE FIRST TIME, IN FULLY RECOGNIZABLE, LANGUOROUS FORM.

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART TO PRESENT 'PICASSO TO WARHOL: TWELVE MODERN MASTERS'

THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, WILL CONTINUE ITS COLLABORATION WITH THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA), NEW YORK, WITH THE EXCLUSIVE PRESENTATION OF THE MAJOR EXHIBITION 'PICASSO TO WARHOL: TWELVE MODERN MASTERS' BEGINNING IN OCTOBER 2011. THE EXHIBITION WILL PRESENT APPROXIMATELY 100 WORKS OF ART CREATED BY 12 OF THE MOST ICONIC ARTISTS FROM THE 20th CENTURY; PABLO PICASSO, HENRI MATISSE, CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI, PIET MONDRIAN, FERNAND LEGER, MARCEL DUCHAMP, GIORGIO DE CHIRICO, JOAN MIRO, ALEXANDER CALDER, JACKSON POLLOCK, JASPER JOHNS AND ANDY WARHOL. 'PICASSO TO WARHOL ' WILL BE ONE OF THE LARGEST CONCENTRATIONS OF MODERN ART MASTERPIECES TO EVER BE EXHIBITED IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. CO-ORGANIZED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART AND MOMA, THE EXHIBITION WILL BE ON VIEW ONLY IN ATLANTA FROM 15.OCTOBER THROUGH 29.APRIL.2012.

SOTHEBY'S PRESENTS PABLO PICASSO'S LA LECTURE BEFORE AUCTION

A SENSUAL 1932 PORTRAIT BY PABLO PICASSO OF HIS YOUNG MISTRESS MARIE-THERESE WALTER WHICH CAPTURES HIS ROMANTIC OBSESSION WITH HER WENT ON DISPLAY RECENTLY AT SOTHEBY'S IN PARIS, AHEAD OF ITS AUCTION NEXT MONTH. IT WAS THE FIRST PUBLIC SHOWING IN EUROPE IN SOME 80 YEARS OF 'LA LECTURE', OR 'READING', AN EROTIC AND BRIGHTLY COLOURED DEPICTION OF THE VOLUPTUOUS MARIE-THERESE SLEEPING NUDE IN AN ARMCHAIR, HER HEAD THROWN BACK AND AN OPEN BOOK IN HER LAP. PAINTED IN BRIGHT YELLOW, GREEN AND RED OILS AT THE HEIGHT OF WHAT ART EXPERTS CALL PICASSO'S 'LOVESTRUCK' PERIOD, IT WILL BE THE STAR OFFERING AT AN UPCOMING SALE OF IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN ART BY SOTHEBY'S LONDON. EXPERTS SAY THE PAINTING COULD FETCH BETWEEN $19-29 MILLION AFTER ANOTHER PICASSO PORTRAIT OF MARIE-THERESE, 'NUDE, GREEN LEAVES AND BUST', WAS SOLD BY CHRISTIE'S, NEW YORK, FOR $106 MILLION IN 2010, AN ALL TIME RECORD FOR AN ART AUCTION. 'IN THE EARLY 1930s HE WAS VERY LYRICALLY IN LOVE AND REFLECTED THAT IN THESE GORGEOUS COLOURS, AND LOVELY COMPOSITION', PHILIP HOOK, DIRECTOR OF IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN PICTURE DEPARTMENT AT SOTHEBY'S IN LONDON TOLD REUTERS IN A RECENT INTERVIEW. 'THIS PERIOD IS JUST ABOUT THE MOST DESIRABLE OF ALL PICASSO'S PERIODS, CERTAINLY IN MARKET TERMS', HE SAID. MARIE-THERESE WAS ONE OF A SERIES OF LOVERS AND MUSES WHO INSPIRED PICASSO THROUGHOUT HIS PROLIFIC EIGHT-DECADE CAREER. SHE FIRST CAUGHT HIS EYE IN 1927, AGED JUST 17, AS SHE WAS COMING OUT OF THE PARIS METRO ON HER BACK FROM A SHOPPING TRIP. PICASSO, IN HIS MID-FORTIES, WAS IMMEDIATELY SMITTEN. MARIE-THERESE LATER SAID HE TOOK HER BY THE ARM AND SAID: 'I AM PICASSO. YOU AND I ARE GOING TO GREAT THINGS TOGETHER.' ALTHOUGH STILL MARRIED TO HIS FIRST WIFE, RUSSIAN DANCER OLGA KHOKHLOVA, PICASSO BEGAN A COVERT AFFAIR WITH MARIE-THERESE, WHO LATER GAVE BIRTH TO THEIR DAUGHTER, MAYA OR MARIA DE LA CONCEPCION.

KUNSTHAUS MUSEUM PRESENTS PICASSO EXHIBITION

IN SEPTEMBER 1932, ALREADY A WORLD-FAMOUS ARTIST, PABLO PICASSO DROVE FROM PARIS TO ZURICH FOR THE OPENING OF A MEGA-EXHIBITION OF HIS WORKS THAT WAS TO MARK A TURNING POINT IN WESTERN CULTURAL HISTORY. ALTHOUGH HE CURATED THE EXHIBITS HIMSELF AT A LUXURY LAKESIDE HOTEL NEARBY FOR TWO DAYS, HOBNOBBING WITH ART CONNOISSEURS AND CRITICS, HE MYSTERIOUSLY NEVER WENT TO SEE THE SHOW AT THE CITY'S KUNSTHAUS MUSEUM. THIS AUTUMN, AND TO CELEBRATE ITS OWN CENTENARY, THE KUNSTHAUS HAS RECREATED THE LANDMARK EXHIBITION, OR SOMETHING UNDER HALF OF IT, AND IT HAS BEEN PULLING IN THE CROWDS. FOR THE ORIGINAL, THE THEN ALREADY 51 YEAR OLD PICASSO CHOSE THE 229 WORKS HIMSELF, PAINTINGS, LITHOGRAPHS AND A HANDFUL OF BRONZE SCULPTURES, TO BE DISPLAYED. 'IN EFFECT', SAYS TOBIA BEZZOLA WHO PUT TOGETHER THE NEW SHOW, 'HE CURATED THIS ONE TOO.' AT A TIME WHEN CONTEMPORARY ART WAS NORMALLY DISPLAYED IN PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL GALLERIES, THE 1932 EXHIBITION WAS PROBABLY THE FIRST RETROSPECTIVE OF A LIVING ARTIST TO BE PUT ON IN A MUSEUM, CULTURAL HISTORIANS SAY. COVERING THE SPANISH-BORN PICASSO'S OUTPUT FROM 1899, WHEN HE WAS AN 18 YEAR OLD PRODIGY IN BARCELONA, THROUGH THE PINK, BLUE, CUBIST, CONSTRUCTIVIST AND SEMI-SURREALIST PERIODS THAT FOLLOWED WHEN HE MOVED TO PARIS AT THE TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY, IT SET A TREND THAT SWEPT THE ART WORLD AFTER WORLD WAR II AND STILL DOMINATES IT. WITH ITS CATALOGS, IN CHEAP AND EXPENSIVE VERSIONS, ITS POSTERS AND PRESS RELEASES, THE FIRST KUNSTHAUS SHOW WAS A PROTOTYPE OF THE ART BLOCKBUSTERS THAT BOOST REVENUES FOR MAJOR AND MINOR MUSEUM AROUND THE WORLD TODAY. NOT THAT IT BROUGHT MUCH CASH IN THEN, A TIME OF DEEP ECONOMIC WOES AS THE WORLD MOVED INTO THE GREAT DEPRESSION OF THE 1930s, DESPITE, FOR THE TIME, AN IMPRESSIVE TOTAL OF 32,000 VISITORS DURING THE TWO MONTHS IT WAS ON. A REFLECTION OF THE CASH-STRAPPED AGE WAS THAT NONE OF THE CANVASES WHICH PICASSO OFFERED FOR SALE AS THE KUNSTHAUS WERE BOUGHT EXCEPT ONE, BY THE MUSEUM ITSELF. THAT CUBIST WORK, 'GUITAR ON A GUERIDON' OF 1915, IS ONE OF THE CENTRAL PIECES AT THE NEW SHOW, WHICH OPENED ON 15.OCTOBER, CLOSES ON 30.JANUARY AND HAS ALREADY HOSTED 250,000 VISITORS.

271 UNKNOWN PICASSO ARTWORKS RECENTLY UNVEILED

PABLO PICASSO WAS BOTH HIGHLY PROLIFIC AND INFAMOUSLY GENEROUS WITH GIFTING HIS WORKS, BUT WAS HE ENOUGH OF A FREE SPIRIT TO GIVE AWAY HUNDREDS OF HIS ICONIC EARLY WORKS, AN INVALUABLE COLLECTION, TO HIS ELECTRICIAN. THAT QUESTION LIES AT THE HEART OF A COURT CASE OVER THE ORIGIN OF 271 PICASSO WORKS, A TREASURE TROVE OF ORIGINAL SKETCHES, PAINTINGS AND COLLAGES THAT WAS UNKNOWN TO THE ART WORLD A FEW MONTHS AGO AND UNVEILED FOR THE PUBLIC MONDAY. EXPERTS HAVE YET TO APPRAISE THE FULL COLLECTION, WHICH HAS BEEN PLACED UNDER LOCK AND KEY AFTER A JUDICIAL APPEAL BY PICASSO'S HEIRS. BUT THERE IS LITTLE DISPUTE SO FAR OVER ITS AUTHENTICITY. THE WORKS, MANY OF WHICH BELONG TO THE ARTIST'S BLUE AND CUBIST PERIODS, COULD FETCH MORE THAN $80 MILLION AT AUCTION. MOST MYSTERIOUS IS HOW SUCH AN EXTENSIVE COLLECTION COULD HAVE WOUND UP IN THE HANDS OF A RETIRED ELECTRICIAN IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE WHO ONCE WORKED FOR THE PICASSO FAMILY, OR WHY HE CHOSE TO HOLD ONTO IT FOR SO MANY DECADES. 'WE HAVE QUESTIONS, LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE THE PAINTINGS CAME FROM', CLAUDE ANDRIEU, LEGAL COUNCIL FOR THE PICASSO FOUNDATION, TOLD REUTERS TELEVISION. 'WE ARE DISCOVERING NEW PIECES, COMPLETELY UNKNOWN PIECES THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN PRINTED IN ANY BOOK.' THE MYSTERY BEGAN WHEN CLAUDE PICASSO, SON OF THE ARTIST AND HEAD OF THE FOUNDATION NAMED AFTER HIM, RECEIVED A LETTER FROM A MAN WHO SAID HE OWNED ORIGINAL PICASSO PICASSO PIECES AND WANTED TO HAVE THEM VERIFIED FOR AUTHENTICITY. PICASSO CONVINCED THE MAN TO BRING THE COLLECTION TO PARIS, SAYING HE WOULD BE UNABLE TO VERIFY IT FROM PHOTOGRAPHS. THE MAN ARRIVED BY CAR WITH THE PAINTINGS IN A SUITCASE AND LAID THEM ON A TABLE. 'I FELT A GREAT SURPRISE, NATURALLY, LOTS OF EMOTION AT THE DISCOVERY OF PIECES WITH WHICH WE WERE NOT FAMILIAR. BUT ALSO A DEEP DISTURBANCE', HE TOLD FRENCH DAILY LIBERATION. 'MANY OF THESE PIECES WERE NOT DATED, WHICH MEANS THEY NEVER SHOULD HAVE LEFT THE STUDIO.' THE MAN IN QUESTION IS PIERRE LE GUENNEC, AN ELECTRICIAN IN HIS SEVENTIES WHO WORKED ON PICASSO'S PROPERTY IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE DURING THE 1970s. HE TOLD REUTERS TELEVISION THAT PICASSO'S WIFE GAVE HIM THE ARTWORKS. 'IT'S MADAME (PICASSO) WHO GAVE THEM. BUT IF MADAME GAVE THEM, MONSIEUR WAS AWARE OF IT. SHE WASN'T GOING TO DO IT JUST LIKE THAT, WAS SHE?' HE SAID, SPEAKING THROUGH A GATE IN FRONT OF HIS PROPERTY. 'WHAT DID YOU WANT ME TO DO WITH THEM?...THEY STAYED IN A BOX WITH OTHER BOXES THAT I HAVE, FROM MY JOB.' YET PICASSO'S HEIRS ARE NOT CONVINCED WITH HIS EXPLANATIONS. WHILE THE ARTIST WAS KNOWN TO DASH OUT SKETCHES ON NAPKINS AT RESTAURANTS AND MAKE SPONTANEOUS GIFTS TO FRIENDS, HE WOULD NOT HAVE SEPARATED WITH SUCH A LARGE STORE OF WORK, HIS SON TOLD LIBERATION. 'IT DOESN'T HOLD UP, FRANKLY', PICASSO SAID. ANDRIEU OF THE PICASSO FOUNDATION SAID THAT LE GUENNEC HAD CHANGED HIS STORY MANY TIMES, FIRST TELLING THEM HE HAD RECEIVED THE PAINTINGS FROM PICASSO HIMSELF, THEN PICASSO'S WIFE, AND ALTERNATELY IN A BOX OR A TRASH CAN. QUESTIONED BY POLICE, HE SAID THE PAINTINGS WERE GIVEN TO HIM BY PICASSO'S WIFE, WHO DIED IN 1986. LE GUENNEC DENIED STEALING THE PAINTINGS AND TOLD RTL RADIO HE DECIDED TO ASK ABOUT THEIR VALUE AS A POSSIBLE INHERITANCE FOR HIS CHILDREN. UNWILLING TO RISK LOSING THE WORKS, PICASSO'S HEIRS SUCCESSFULLY APPEALED TO A JUDGE TO HAVE THE WORKS PLACED UNDER LOCK AND KEY, WHERE EXPERTS CAN STUDY AND CARE FOR THEM. AMONG THE WORKS ARE NINE EXTREMELY RARE CUBIST COLLAGES, A WATERCOLOUR FROM PICASSO'S BLUE PERIOD, SEVERAL PAINTED HAND STUDIES, SOME 30 LITHOGRAPHS AND OVER 200 DRAWINGS, AS WELL AS PORTRAITS OF THE ARTIST'S FIRST WIFE, OLGA KHOKHLOVA. 'MR PICASSO IS ONLY INTERESTED IN THE HISTORY OF ART', ANDRIEU SAID. 'WE GOT THE PIECES SECURED, AND NOW IT IS FOR THE JUDGE TO DETERMINE HOW THE PIECES WERE OBTAINED.'

VMFA TO PRESENT 'PICASSO: MASTERPIECES FROM THE MUSEE NATIONAL PICASSO, PARIS'

THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HAS RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THE MOST IMPORTANT EXHIBITION IN ITS HISTORY, 'PICASSO: MASTERPIECES FROM THE MUSEE NATIONAL PICASSO, PARIS'. VMFA IS THE EXCLUSIVE EAST COAST VENUE FOR THE EXHIBITION'S SEVEN CITY INTERNATIONAL TOUR. THE EXHIBITION, WHICH WILL BE ON VIEW FROM 19.FEBRUARY.2011 THROUGH 15.MAY.2011, IS CO-ORGANIZED BY THE MUSEE NATIONAL PICASSO, PARIS AND THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS. DRAWN FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE MUSEE NATIONAL PICASSO IN PARIS, THE LARGEST AND MOST SIGNIFICANT REPOSITORY OF THE ARTIST'S WORK IN THE WORLD, THE EXHIBITION REPRESENTS WORKS PRODUCED DURING EVERY MAJOR ARTISTIC PERIOD OF PABLO PICASSO'S EIGHT-DECADE CAREER. IT INCLUDES 176 WORKS FROM PICASSO'S PERSONAL COLLECTION, ART THAT HE KEPT FOR HIMSELF WITH THE PURPOSE OF SHAPING HIS OWN LEGACY. IN ADDITION TO SHOWCASING SOME OF PICASSO'S MOST OUTSTANDING WORKS, THE EXHIBITION TELLS A COMPELLING STORY ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARTIST'S CAREER, HIS ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS, AND HIS PROFOUND IMPACT ON MODERN ART. THE EXHIBITION WILL SHOWCASE MOMENTS AND ART THE DEFINED PICASSO'S EARLY CAREER, INCLUDING A DEATHBED PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST'S CLOSE FRIEND CARLOS CASAGEMAS. HIS FRIEND'S SUICIDE PARTIALLY INFLUENCED PICASSO'S FAMED BLUE PERIOD, DEFINED BY SOMBER PAINTINGS IN SHADES OF BLUE AND GREEN. CELESTINA (THE WOMAN WITH ONE EYE), A MASTERPIECE FROM THE BLUE PERIOD, WILL BE FEATURED IN THE EXHIBITION.

COCTEAU AND PICASSO ARTWORKS MAKE OVER £500,000

A COLLECTION OF DRAWINGS, PASTELS AND CERAMICS BY THE FRENCH POET, FILMMAKER, PLAYWRIGHT AND NOVELIST, JEAN COCTEAU, BROUGHT TOGETHER BY THE LATE BUSINESS TYCOON AND FOUNDER OF GUCCI TIMEPIECES, SEVERIN WUNDERMAN, MADE A REMARKABLE £430,000 RECENTLY AT BONHAM'S, KNIGHTSBRIDGE, WITH 90% SOLD BY VALUE. JUST AN EARLIER, A SELECTION OF PRINTS, CERAMICS AND SILVER BY THE ARTISTIC MASTER OF THE 20th CENTURY, PABLO PICASSO, FETCHED A TOTAL OF £220,812, WITH 85% SOLD BY VALUE. COCTEAU MET PICASSO IN 1915 AND THE PAIR REMAINED CLOSE FRIENDS FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS. THEIR ARTISTIC RELATIONSHIP CAN BE CHARACTERIZED BY TWO COMMENTS: ACCORDING TO ARNAUD, PICASSO WAS 'FOREVER AT THE HEART OF COCTEAU'S CREATIVE PANTHEON', WHILE PICASSO WAS ONCE HEARD TO COMMENT THAT 'COCTEAU IS THE TAIL OF MY COMET'. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SALE WERE TWO SILVER PLATES THAT HE CREATED IN THE MID 1950s. JOUEUR DE FLUTE ET CAVALIER FETCHED £21,600 AND DORMEUR SOLD FOR £19,200. THE HIGHEST SELLING CERAMIC WAS A PLATTER ENTITLED TETE DE CHEVRE DE PROFIL WHICH SOLD FOR £12,000 AND THE TOP SELLING PRINT WAS LE CAVALIER, WHICH FETCHED £6,240. THE BEST-SELLER IN THE COCTEAU SALE WAS JEUNE FILLE DE MILLY WHICH WAS PAINTED AT THE HOUSE BOUGHT WITH JEAN MARAIS IN MILLY-LA-FORET IN 1947. IT SOLD FOR £48,000 AGAINST A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £8,000 TO £12,000. ALTHOUGH FAMOUS FOR HIS FILMS (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ORPHEUS), NOVELS (LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES) AND PLAYS (LA BEL INDIFFERENT), COCTEAU ALSO PRODUCED THOUSANDS OF ARTWORKS IN HIS LIFETIME, IN PART BECAUSE HE FOUND ART THERAPEUTIC. WORKING IN A VARIETY OF MEDIUMS, FROM CERAMICS TO OILS AND PASTELS, HE COMMENTED: 'ART IS NOT A PASTIME BUT A PRIESTHOOD.' USING A RANGE OF CELEBRITY FRIENDS AS SUBJECTS, FROM ARTISTS AND WRITERS, SUCH AS PICASSO, JEAN HUGO AND GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE, TO STARS OF THE THEATRICAL WORLDS INCLUDING DIAGHILEV, JOSEPHINE BAKER AND EDITH PIAF, HIS IRONIC CARICATURES GIVE A SNAPSHOT OF THE BEST OF THE EARLY 20th CENTURY ARTISTIC OUTPUT THAT REVOLVED AROUND COCTEAU AND HIS CIRCLE. THEY ALSO PROVIDED AMUSEMENT TO MANY, INCLUDING COCO CHANEL WHO SUGGESTED HE TURN HIS HAND TO FASHION DESIGN. WUNDERMAN WAS HIS BIGGEST FAN AND IS CONSIDERED TO HAVE BEEN THE WORLD'S LARGEST COLLECTOR OF WORKS BY JEAN COCTEAU. HE KEPT THE MAJORITY IN HIS COTE D'AZUR CHATEAU WHICH INCLUDED A SUITE IN WHICH THE ENTIRE SITTING AREA AND BEDROOM WERE COVERED FROM FLOOR TO CEILING IN THE ARTIST'S DRAWINGS. PROCEEDS FROM THE JEAN COCTEAU SALE GO TO THE SEVERIN WUNDERMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION, A CHARITY THAT SUPPORTS RESEARCH INTO INCURABLE DISEASES.

THE MET SETS RECORD ATTENDANCE WITH PICASSO EXHIBITION

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF FINE ART ANNOUNCED THAT THE LANDMARK EXHIBITION 'PICASSO IN THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART' DREW 703,256 VISITORS DURING ITS 17 WEEK PRESENTATION AT THE MUSEUM WHICH ENDS SUNDAY, MAKING IT THE MOST HIGHLY ATTENDED SHOW SINCE 2001. ON VIEW FROM 19.APRIL THROUGH 22.AUGUST, PICASSO BECAME THE SEVENTH MOST HIGHLY ATTENDED EXHIBITION AT THE METROPOLITAN SINCE THE MUSEUM FIRST BEGAN TRACKING EXHIBITION ATTENDANCE NEARLY 50 YEARS AGO. IT WAS THE FIRST EXHIBITION TO FOCUS EXCLUSIVELY ON THE REMARKABLE ARRAY OF WORKS BY PABLO PICASSO IN THE METROPOLITAN'S COLLECTION. 'WE ARE ESPECIALLY PLEASED AND PROUD THAT A SPECIAL EXHIBITION FROM THE MET'S OWN SUPERB COLLECTIONS HAS EARNED SUCH AN EXTRAORDINARY PUBLIC RESPONSE. THE HEARTENING ATTENDANCE AT PICASSO IN THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART IS A TESTAMENT NOT ONLY TO THE ENDURING POPULARITY OF THIS ICONIC ARTIST, BUT TO THE RICHNESS AND DEPTH OF THE MUSEUM'S HOLDINGS OF HIS WORKS, AS WELL THE FRESH SCHOLARSHIP AND PATIENT CONSERVATION WORK BROUGHT TO BEAR BY THE MUSEUM'S PROFESSIONAL STAFF IN ORDER TO STUDY AND MOUNT THIS ONCE IN A LIFETIME SHOW. WE ARE GRATEFUL INDEED FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION, AS WE ARE TO THE PUBLIC FOR ITS EXTRAORDINARY SHOW OF INTEREST AND SUPPORT', SAID A REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE MUSEUM IN A RECENT INTERVIEW. PICASSO IN THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART FEATURED 300 WORKS BY PICASSO AND PROVIDED AN UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITY TO VIEW TOGETHER ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST IMPORTANT COLLECTIONS OF THE ARTIST'S WORK. THE EXHIBITION REVEALED THE MUSEUM'S COMPLETE HOLDINGS OF THE ARTIST'S PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS AND CERAMICS, NEVER BEFORE SEEN IN THEIR ENTIRETY, AS WELL AS AN EXTENSIVE SELECTION OF PRINTS. AMONG THE MASTERPIECES ON VIEW IN THE EXHIBITION WERE: SEATED HARLEQUIN (1951), THE BLIND MAN'S MEAL (1903), THE ACTOR (1904-05), AT THE LAPIN AGILE (1905), GERTRUDE STEIN (1905-06), STANDING FEMALE NUDE (1910), HEAD OF A WOMAN (1922) AND THE DREAMER (1932).

V&A TO PRESENT PICASSO'S LE TRAIN BLEU CURTAIN

IT'S SO LARGE THAT IT HAS HAD TO SPEND THE BEST PART OF 80 YEARS IN STORAGE. BUT RECENTLY, PABLO PICASSO'S LARGEST WORK WAS UNROLLED IN ALL ITS AMAZING GLORY AT THE VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM. STRETCHING OVER MORE THAN 34ft (FAMED MURAL GUERNICA IS JUST 11ft BY 26ft), IT'S LITTLE WONDER STAFF WONDERED WHERE TO PUT THE CANVAS, WHICH WAS CREATED FOR RUSSIAN BALLET IMPRESARIO SERGE DIAGHILEV. IT TOOK A TOWER OF SCAFFOLDING, FIVE RIGGERS PULLING IT UP AND TEN MUSEUM STAFF UNROLLING IT DOWN TO HANG THE FRONT CLOTH. A FRONT CLOTH IS A THEATRICAL CREATION, DESIGNED TO HANG JUST BEHIND THE RED VELVET CURTAIN AND TO BE VIEWED BY AN AUDIENCE WHILE MUSICIANS PLAY THE OVERTURE. THIS PARTICULAR PIECE WAS DESIGNED FOR THE BALLETS RUSSES PERFORMANCES OF LE TRAIN BLUE, IN PARIS, IN 1924. PICASSO, A GREAT FRIEND OF INFLUENTIAL ARTISTIC DIRECTOR DIAGHILEV, PAINTED A MUCH SMALLER PAINTING TITLED DEUX FEMME COURANT SUR LA PLAGE, SHOWING TWO ROTUND WOMEN ON THE BEACH, TWO YEARS EARLIER IN 1922. DIAGHILEV LIKED IT AND PICASSO AGREED THE DESIGN COULD BE ENLARGED TO AN ENORMOUS STAGE CANVAS. IT WAS DULY PAINTED IN GOUACHE, FLAT ON THE FLOOR AND SQUARE BY SQUARE, BY THEATER ARTIST PRINCE ALEXANDRE SHERVASHIDZE IN JUST 24 HOURS. IMPRESSED BY THE COPY, WHICH WAS MADE DURING THE YEAR PARIS HOSTED THE OLYMPICS, PICASSO ADDED HIS SIGNATURE AND A DEDICATION. THE ARTWORK WAS UNFURLED FOR PERFORMANCES OF LE TRAIN BLEU OVER TWO SEASONS. IN BETWEEN PERFORMANCES IT WOULD BE FOLDED UP (HENCE THE LINES MARKING THE CANVAS) AND PACKED AWAY IN A TRUNK, A SET DESIGNER PATCHING UP ANY DAMAGED AREAS WITH FRESH PAINT AS REQUIRED. IT EMERGED FROM STORAGE AGAIN IN 1939 FOR AN EXHIBITION, AND THEN REMAINED TUCKED AWAY OUT OF SIGHT UNTIL AN AUCTION IN 1968 WHEN IT WAS ACQUIRED FOR THE NATION BY THE V&A. THE PUBLIC WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL 25.SEPTEMBER TO SEE THE STUNNING WORK, WHEN AN EXHIBITION ENTITLED 'DIAGHILEV AND THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE BALLETS RUSSES 1909-1929' OPEN. THE EXHIBITION WILL ALSO FEATURE COSTUMES WORN BY CHARISMATIC DANCER VASLAV NIJINSKY, WORKS BY HENRI MATTISE, COCO CHANEL'S BATHING COSTUMES FOR LE TRAIN BLEU AND WORKS OF ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS DIAGHILEV KNEW.

MARLBOROUGH FINE ART PRESENTS PABLO PICASSO: CELEBRATING THE MUSE

MARLBOROUGH FINE ART, LONDON, IS PRESENTING AN IMPORTANT EXHIBITION OF PRINTS BY PABLO PICASSO CELEBRATING THE THEME OF WOMEN AS MUSE IN VARIOUS GRAPHIC MEDIA, RANGING FROM ETCHING AND DRYPOINT, LINOCUT AND LITHOGRAPHY. IT IS THE SECOND AND FINAL VENUE FOR THIS AMAZING SHOW, WHICH WAS HIGHLY ACCLAIMED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES DURING ITS INSTALLATION AT MALBOROUGH GALLERY, NEW YORK. IT IS THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF THE SUBJECT AS SPECIFICALLY DEPICTED IN PICASSO'S GRAPHIC OEUVRE. THE FEATURES WORKS SPANNING HIS ENTIRE CAREER FROM HIS FIRST PRINT, LE REPAS FRUGAL, TO SELECTIONS FROM THE TOUR DE FORCE OF HIS LATE PERIOD, THE SUITE 347 OF 1968.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.marlboroughfineart.com

TATE LIVERPOOL PRESENTS 'PICASSO:PEACE AND FREEDOM'

A MAJOR EXHIBITION BRINGING TOGETHER OVER 150 WORKS BY PICASSO FROM ACROSS THE WORLD WILL BE PRESENTED AT TATE LIVERPOOL FROM 21.MAY THROUGH 30.AUGUST. 'PICASSO:PEACE AND FREEDOM' WILL REVEAL A FASCINATING NEW INSIGHT INTO THE ARTIST'S LIFE AS A TIRELESS POLITICAL ACTIVIST AND CAMPAIGNER FOR PEACE, CHALLENGING THE WIDELY-HELD VIEW OF THE ARTIST AS CREATIVE GENIUS, PLAYBOY AND COMPULSIVE EXTROVERT. THIS IS THE FIRST EXHIBITION TO EXPLORE THE POST-WAR PERIOD OF THE ARTIST'S LIFE IN DEPTH, AND WILL REFLECT A NEW PICASSO FOR A NEW TIME. TWENTY YEARS AFTER THE FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL, THE EXHIBITION PROVIDES A TIMELY LOOK AT PICASSO'S WORK IN THE COLD WAR ERA AND HOW THE ARTIST TRANSCENDED THE IDEOLOGICAL AND AESTHETIC OPPOSITIONS OF EAST AND WEST. THE EXHIBITION WILL BRING TOGETHER KEY PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS RELATED TO WAR AND PEACE FROM 1944-1973, ALONGSIDE A WIDE RANGE OF CONTEXTUAL MATERIALS AND EPHEMERA. THE CENTERPIECE WILL BE THE ARTIST'S MASTERPIECE, THE CHARNEL HOUSE, MARKING 50 YEARS SINCE IT WAS LAST SEEN IN THE UK. THE REMARKABLE WORK WAS PICASSO'S MOST EXPLICITLY POLITICAL PAINTING SINCE GUERNICA. PICASSO'S DOVE OF PEACE BECAME THE EMBLEM FOR THE PEACE MOVEMENT AND UNIVERSAL SYMBOL OF HOPE DURING THE COLD WAR. PICASSO'S LITHOGRAPH OF THE FAN-TAILED PIGEON, GIVEN TO HIM BY MATISSE IN 1948, WA SELECTED FOR THE POSTER FOR THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL PEACE CONGRESS HELD IN PARIS IN 1949. PICASSO LATER PROVIDED VARIATIONS ON THE DOVE FOR THE PEACE CONGRESSES IN STOCKHOLM, SHEFFIELD, VIENNA, ROME, AND MOSCOW. THE DOVE ALSO HAD A HIGHLY PERSONAL SIGNIFICANCE FOR PICASSO GOING BACK TO CHILDHOOD MEMORIES OF HIS FATHER PAINTING DOVES KEPT IN THE FAMILY HOME. IN 1949 PICASSO NAMED HIS DAUGHTER 'PALOMA', SPANISH FOR DOVE, BORN IN THE SAME MONTH AS THE PEACE CONGRESS IN PARIS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.tate.org.uk

BONHAMS TO HOLD FIRST EVER PICASSO EDITIONS SALE

BONHAM'S, LONDON, WILL HOLD THEIR FIRST EVER PICASSO EDITIONS SALE FEATURING CERAMICS, PRINTS AND JEWELRY BY THE MOST CELEBRATED ARTIST OF THE 20th CENTURY, IN KNIGHTSBRIDGE SALES ROOM ON 22.SEPTEMBER. PICASSO ITEMS HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN SOLD IN OTHER BONHAMS SALES, BUT THIS WILL BE THE FIRST AUCTION TO BE DEVOTED PURELY TO THE WORKS OF THE ARTIST. AS WELL AS CERAMICS, THERE IS ALREADY A SPECIAL EARLY CONSIGNMENT OF TWO OF THE NINETEEN SILVER PLATES DESIGNED BY PICASSO, INCLUDING ONE TITLED 'DORMEUR', HIS FIRST EXPERIMENT IN THE USE OF SILVER. PICASSO BEGAN DESIGNING IN SILVER PLATES IN THE MID 1950s. FOLLOWING A METING WITH THE SILVERSMITH FRANCOIS HUGO. HAVING GIVEN HIM THE PLATTER 'DORMEUR' AS A MODEL, PICASSO WAS SAID TO HAVE BEEN SO PLEASED WITH THE RESULT THAT HE IMMEDIATELY ASKED HUGO TO CREATE ANOTHER FOUR LIKE IT. FROM THE EDITION OF JUST TWENTY EACH, BOTH 'DORMEUR' AND 'JOUEUR DE FLUTE AT CAVALIER' ARE EXCELLENT EXAMPLES OF THE PLAYFUL AND ICONIC MOTIFS TO BE FOUND IN PICASSO'S EDITIONS. THEY ARE ESTIMATED AT £10,000-15,000 EACH. THE SALE HAS BEEN INTRODUCED BY BONHAMS SPECIALIST RUTH GRAHAM WHO HAS BEEN WITH THE FIRM SINCE 2008.

CHRISTIE'S SELLS PICASSO'S 'NUDE, GREEN LEAVES AND BUST' FOR RECORD $106.5 MILLION

A 1932 PABLO PICASSO PAINTING OF HIS MISTRESS HAS SOLD FOR $106.5 MILLION, A WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR ANY WORK OF ART AT AUCTION. 'NUDE, GREEN LEAVES AND BUST', WHICH HAD A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF BETWEEN $70 MILLION AND $90 MILLION, WAS SOLD AT CHRISTIE'S AUCTION HOUSE, NEW YORK, ON TUESDAY EVENING TO AN UNIDENTIFIED TELEPHONE BIDDER. THERE WERE NINE MINUTES OF BIDDING INVOLVING EIGHT CLIENTS IN THE SALE ROOM AND ON THE PHONE, CHRISTIE'S SAID. AT $88 MILLION, TWO BIDDERS REMAINED. THE FINAL BID WAS $95 MILLION, BUT THE BUYER'S PREMIUM TOOK THE SALE PRICE TO $106.5 MILLION. CONOR JORDAN, HEAD OF IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN ART FOR CHRISTIE'S NEW YORK, SAID HE WAS 'ECSTATIC WITH THE RESULTS'. 'TONIGHT'S SPECTACULAR RESULTS SHOWED THE GREAT CONFIDENCE IN THE MARKETPLACE AND THE ENTHUSIASM WITH WHICH IT WELCOMES TOP QUALITY WORKS', HE SAID. THE STRIKING WORK OF PICASSO'S MUSE AND MISTRESS MARIE-THERESE WALTER HAS BEEN EXHIBITED IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY ONCE, IN 1961 IN LOS ANGELES TO COMMEMORATE THE 80th ANNIVERSARY OF PICASSO'S BIRTH. THE PAINTING, WHICH MEASURES MORE THAN 5 FEET BY 4 FEET, SHOWS A RECLINING NUDE FIGURE WITH AN IMAGE OF PICASSO IN THE BACKGROUND LOOKING OVER HER. THE PAINTING BELONGED TO THE LATE CALIFORNIA ART PATRON FRANCES LASKER BRODY, WHO BOUGHT IT IN THE 1950s. IT HAD BEEN KEPT IN HER FAMILY SINCE THEN. PART OF THE SALE PROCEEDS WILL BENEFIT THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, ART COLLECTIONS AND BOTANICAL GARDENS IN SAN MARINO, CALIF., WHERE BRODY WAS ON THE BOARD. THE PREVIOUS RECORD FOR A WORK OF ART AT AUCTION WAS $104.3 MILLION FOR 'WALKING MAN I', A SCULPTURE BY ALBERTO GIACOMETTI SOLD ON 3.FEBRUARY AT SOTHEBY'S IN LONDON. THE PREVIOUS HIGH PRICE FOR A PICASSO WORK WAS $104.2 MILLION FOR 'BOY WITH A PIPE (THE YOUNG APPRENTICE), ATTAINED IN 2004 AT SOTHEBY'S NEW YORK. ON WEDNESDAY, ANOTHER RARELY SEEN PICASSO IS SLATED TO SELL AT SOTHEBY'S AUCTION HOUSE. 'WOMAN IN A HAT, BUST' IS A 1965 WORK INSPIRED BY JACQUELINE ROGUE, THE LAST LOVE OF PICASSO'S LIFE. IT IS ESTIMATED TO SELL FOR $8 MILLION TO $12 MILLION. THE HUNG FOR 50 YEARS IN THE MANHATTAN APARTMENT OF PATRICIA KENNEDY LAWFORD, A SISTER OF FORMER PRESIDENT JOHN F KENNEDY. IT'S BEING SOLD BY HER ESTATE.

10 YEAR OLD ARTIST PAINTS LIKE PABLO PICASSO

THEIR THICK BOLD BLACK LINES, VIBRANT COLOURS AND DISJOINTED, CUBIST FORMS HAVE DRAWN INEVITABLE COMPARISONS WITH THE PAINTINGS OF RENOWNED ARTIST PABLO PICASSO. BUT INSTEAD THEY ARE THE STUNNING WORK OF A TEN YEAR OLD BOY, WHO HAS STUNNED THE ART WORLD WITH HIS ECHOES OF THE SPANISH GENIUS BEFORE EVER SEEING HIS PIECES. HAMAD AL HUMAIDHAN HAS BEEN SIGNED BY AN INTERNATIONAL ART AGENCY DESPITE STILL BEING IN PRIMARY SCHOOL. THE 4ft YOUNGSTER HAS SOLD SEVERAL OF HIS PAINTINGS FOR £650 EACH AND WILL HOLD HIS DEBUT EXHIBITION THIS SUMMER. HIS TECHNIQUE INVOLVES CLOSING HIS EYES, SEEING AN IMAGE OF A PAINTING IN HIS HEAD AND THEN TRANSFERRING IT TO THE CANVAS, HE SAID. THE TALENTED SCHOOLBOY FIRST STARTED PAINTING AFTER HIS FAMILY MOVED FROM KUWAIT TO BATH, IN NORTH-EAST SOMERSET, THREE YEARS AGO. HE SAW HIS FATHER WALID, AN AMATEUR ARTIST, CARRYING A BLANK CANVAS UNDER HIS ARM AND ASKED TO BORROW IT. HOURS LATER HE DISCOVERED HIS SON HAD PAINTED A SIMPLE PORTRAIT OF CRISTIANO RONALDO. THE USE OF COLOUR AND FORM WERE ENOUGH FOR HIM TO KEEP ENCOURAGING HIS SON, WHO SOON BEGAN TO USE ACRYLICS TO PRODUCE PICASSO-LIKE ABSTRACT PAINTINGS. HIS SON WAS SIGNED BY THE AGENCY TURNER FINE ARTS THIS YEAR AND HAS SOLD SIX PAINTINGS SO FAR. HAMAD'S AGENT STEVE TURNER SAID: 'WHEN I SAW HIS WORK I WAS AMAZED AT HOW COMPLICATED IT WAS AND THAT THE SHADES AND HUES WERE SO INCREDIBLE. THE REACTION WE HAVE GOT FROM PEOPLE HAS BEEN QUITE EXTRAORDINARY. FOR ME IT'S EXCITING TO FIND SOMEONE SO YOUNG WHO IS ALREADY SHOWING SO MUCH POTENTIAL. IT WILL BE FASCINATING TO SEE HOW HIS STYLE DEVELOPS OVER THE YEARS.' HAMAD'S FIRST EXHIBITION WILL BE AT THE LLANGOLLEN INTERNATIONAL PAVILION, IN NORTH WALES, FROM 5-6.JUNE.

THE MET PRESENTS 'PICASSO IN THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART'

PICASSO IN THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, A LANDMARK EXHIBITION OF OVER 300 WORKS BY PABLO PICASSO, WILL PROVIDE AN UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITY TO SEE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COLLECTION IN THE WORLD OF THE ARTIST'S WORK. ON VIEW AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART FROM 27.APRIL THROUGH 1.AUGUST, THIS IS THE FIRST EXHIBITION TO FOCUS EXCLUSIVELY ON THE REMARKABLE ARRAY OF WORKS BY PICASSO IN THE MET'S COLLECTION. THE EXHIBITION WILL REVEAL THE MUSEUM'S COMPLETE HOLDINGS OF THE ARTIST'S PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS, SCULPTURES AND CERAMICS, NEVER BEFORE SEEN IN THEIR ENTIRETY, AS WELL AS A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF HIS PRINTS. THE EXHIBITION ENCOMPASSES THE KEY SUBJECTS FOR WHICH PICASSO IS SO WELL KNOW; THE PENSIVE HARLEQUINS OF HIS BLUE AND ROSE PERIODS, THE FACETED FIGURES AND TABLETOP STILL LIFES OF HIS CUBIST YEARS, THE MONUMENTAL HEADS AND CLASSICIZING BATHERS OF THE 1920s, THE RAGING BULLS AND DREAMING NUDES OF THE 1930s AND THE RAKISH MUSKETEERS OF HIS FINAL TEARS. PICASSO IN THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART WILL FEATURE 34 PAINTINGS, 58 DRAWINGS, A DOZEN SCULPTURES AND CERAMICS AND AN EXTENSIVE SELECTION OF PRINTS (SOME 200 FROM A COLLECTION OF OVER 400), ALL ACQUIRED BY THE MUSEUM OVER THE PAST 60 YEARS. IMPORTANTLY, THE EXHIBITION INCLUDES MANY WORKS ON PAPER THAT HAVE RARELY, IF EVER BEEN EXHIBITED BEFORE AT THE METROPOLITAN.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.metmuseum.org

DISOWNED PICASSO PAINTING TO HAVE US DEBUT

A PAINTING DISOWNED BY PABLO PICASSO IS EXPECTED TO HAVE ITS AMERICAN DEBUT IN A MAJOR EXHIBIT OF HIS WORK AT NEW YORK CITY'S METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, THOUGH IT'S UNLIKELY TO BE A HIGHLIGHT OF THE SHOW. QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN RAISED ABOUT THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE PAINTING, WHICH IS CALLED 'EROTIC SCENE' AND SHOWS A NAKED WOMAN NESTLING HER HEAD IN A MAN'S LAP. BUT THE MET'S CURATOR OF THE 19th CENTURY, MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART SAYS THAT WASN'T THE REASON IT HAD BEEN KEPT IN STORAGE SINCE IT BEING ACQUIRED IN 1982. CURATOR GARY TINTEROW SAYS IT WAS SIMPLY 'NOT VERY GOOD'. HE CALLS IT 'SLAPDASH'. MAYBE THAT'S WHY PICASSO SAID THE PAINTING WAS 'A JOKE BY FRIENDS'. TINTEROW SAYS MET RESEARCHERS CONFIRMED IT WAS BY PICASSO BEFORE INCLUDING IT IN THE SHOW OF 300 WORKS OPENING 17.APRIL.

NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART TO ACQUIRE FOUR PROMISED PAINTINGS FROM PRIVATE COLLECTION

LAWRENCE J WHEELER, DIRECTOR, NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART, RALEIGH, NC, RECENTLY ANNOUNCED A PROMISED GIFT TO THE MUSEUM FROM THE COLLECTION OF JOSIE AND JULIAN ROBERTSON, OF NEW YORK. THE GIFT INCLUDES FOUR STUNNING PAINTINGS BY IMPORTANT EUROPEAN IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN ARTISTS. IN ADDITION TO PICASSO'S 'SEATED WOMAN, RED AND YELLOW BACKGROUND', THEY ARE 'THE BRIDGE AT MORET ON AN APRIL MORNING', BY ALFRED SISLEY, 'THE BRIDGE AT POISSY', BY MAURICE DE VLAMINCK, AND 'FISHING BOAT' BY EMIL NOLDE. THE FIRST OF THE PROMISED WORKS TO BE ON PUBLIC VIEW WILL BE PICASSO'S SUPERB PORTRAIT OF HIS LOVER FRANCOISE GILOT, WHICH WILL BE INSTALLED IN THE MUSEUM'S NEW BUILDING WHEN IT OPENS ON 24.APRIL. PICASSO'S VISUALLY COMPLEX, EXPRESSIVE PORTRAIT OF GILOT WAS PAINTED AT THE END OF THEIR TURBULENT RELATIONSHIP. GILOT SITS IN A STUDIO CHAIR, HAND CRADLING HER CHIN, EYES WANDERING. BUT WITHIN THE RECTANGLE OF THE PAINTING, SHE REMAINS VERY MUCH PICASSO'S SUBJECT, THE PRETEXT FOR A VIRTUOSIC PERFORMANCE OF THE ARTIST'S COMPOSITIONAL AND TECHNICAL BRILLIANCE. 'WHILE THE NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART IS KNOWN FOR ITS STRONG GROUP OF MODERN GERMAN PAINTINGS, IT NEVER HAD COMPARABLE SCHOOL OF PARIS WORKS', NOTES JOHN COFFEY, THE MUSEUM'S DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR ART. 'THE PROMISED GIFT OF THESE WONDERFUL PICTURES ENSURES THAT THE MUSEUM WILL HAVE A SOLID REPRESENTATION OF FRENCH MODERNISTS, INCLUDING THE EXCEPTIONALLY VIVID PORTRAIT BY PICASSO, THE FIRST WORK BY THIS ARTIST TO ENTER THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION.'

CHRISTIE'S SELLS PICASSO'S TETE DE FEMME (JACQUELINE) FOR £8.1 MILLION

A STUNNING PICASSO MASTERPIECE UNSEEN IN PUBLIC FOR 43 YEARS FETCHED MORE THAN TWICE ITS ESTIMATED PRICE AT THE RECENT CHRISTIE'S IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN ART SALE IN LONDON WHEN IT SOLD FOR £8.1 MILLION. 'TETE DE FEMME (JACQUELINE)', A 1963 PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST'S SECOND WIFE, HAD NOT BEEN SEEN IN PUBLIC SINCE 1967 AND WAS EXPECTED TO FETCH £3-4 MILLION, CHRISTIE'S SAID. THE PORTRAIT HAD NEVER BEEN OFFERED AT AUCTION AND HAD REMAINED IN THE SAME COLLECTION SINCE 1981. IT WAS THE MOST TALKED ABOUT LOT OF THE STRING OF MASTERPIECES BY PICASSO, RENOIR AND MATISSE WHICH WENT ON THE AUCTION BLOCK. JACQUELINE HAD AN UNUSUALLY SHORT NECK AND IT IS SAID THAT PICASSO WOULD JOKINGLY EXAGGERATE ITS SIZE IN HIS PORTRAITS, AS IN THE ELONGATED EXAMPLE. A CHRISTIE'S SPOKESPERSON WOULD NOT REVEAL THE IDENTITY OF THE WINNING BIDDER, 'IT'S BEEN A VERY BUSY EVENING AND MANY OF THE PIECES HAVE EXCEEDED THEIR ESTIMATES', SHE SAID.

CLUMSY ART LOVER LEAVES A SIX-INCH GASH IN £80 MILLION PICASSO PAINTING

AN ART LOVER WAS LEFT RED-FACED RECENTLY AFTER SHE RIPPED AN £80 MILLION PICASSO PAINTING WHEN SHE ACCIDENTALLY FELL AGAINST IT. THE WOMAN WAS VISITING THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK, WHEN SHE 'LOST HER BALANCE' AND CRASHED INTO THE ARTWORK, CAUSING A SIX INCH GASH. THE PAINTING, CALLED 'THE ACTOR', DEPICTS A GAUNT MALE FIGURE IN A PINK COSTUME ON STAGE AND WAS COMPLETED IN 1905. IT WAS HANGING IN A SECOND-FLOOR GALLERY AMONG A DISPLAY OF THE SPANISH ARTIST'S EARLY WORKS. THE WOMAN WAS UNINJURED, SAID MUSEUM SPOKESMAN ALYSE TOPALIAN. THE PAINTING RECEIVED A VERTICAL TEAR IN THE LOWER RIGHT HAND CORNER, A MUSEUM STATEMENT SAID. IT HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE GALLERY AND TAKEN TO THE MUSEUM'S CONSERVATION STUDIO FOR 'ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT', THE STATEMENT ADDED. BECAUSE THE TEAR OCCURRED IN THE LOWER PORTION OF THE CANVAS, THE REPAIR IS EXPECTED TO BE UNOBTRUSIVE. THE CANVAS WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE 'PICASSO IN THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART' EXHIBITION, FEATURING 250 WORKS, SCHEDULED TO RUN 27.APRIL THROUGH 1.AUGUST. THE SIX-FOOT TALL PAINTING SIGNALED A SIFT FROM HIS EARLIER BLUE PERIOD TO HIS MORE VIBRANT AND EMOTIONAL ROSE PERIOD. THE FAMILY OF WALTER P CHRYSLER DONATED THE PAINTING TO THE MUSEUM IN 1952.

CALIFORNIA ANTIQUES DEALER CHARGED WITH SELLING FAKE PICASSO

A WEST HOLLYWOOD ANTIQUES DEALER HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH SELLING A PHONY PICASSO FOR AN ESTIMATED $2 MILLION. FEDERAL PROSECUTORS SAID FRIDAY THAT THE 69 YEAR OLD TATIANA KHAN WAS CHARGED WITH WIRE FRAUD AND OTHER CRIMES. SHE'S FREE PENDING ARRAIGNMENT BUT COULD FACE 45 YEARS IN PRISON IF CONVICTED. PROSECUTORS CONTEND KHAN PAID AN ARTIST $1,000 IN 2006 TO DUPLICATE A PABLO PICASSO PASTEL CALLED 'THE WOMAN IN THE BLUE HAT' AND SOLD THE FORGERY. THE FBI STEPPED IN LAST YEAR AFTER THE BUYER HAD THE WORK EXAMINED AND LEARNED IT WAS A FAKE. ON FRIDAY, FBI AGENTS SEIZED A GENUINE WILLEM DE KOONING FROM KHAN. AUTHORITIES CLAIM SHE BOUGHT IT FOR $720,000 USING PROCEEDS FROM THE PICASSO SALE.