Media Talks See unpublished photos of Picasso taken by one of his muses going to auction in Paris 27/06/2022 15:20

London – Unpublished scenes of intimacy scenes made between 1920 and 1940 by painter Dora Maar, one of Pablo Picasso’s muses, are going up for auction in Paris starting this evening (27).

He lived with the Spaniard for nine years and noted that he worked on the works of the painter, as well as in moments of rest, on the beach or at home with the dog.

Picasso is one of the greatest artists of the 20th century and has eclipsed the talent or personality of some of his muses like Dora Maar. The 750 photos offered for sale show that he is not only a painter like Picasso, but also an excellent photographer navigating different types of photography.

Picasso’s Muse Photo Auction Offers 750 Images

Henriette Theodora Markovitch was born in Paris in 1907 of Croatian descent, but grew up in Buenos Aires.

He returned to the French capital in the late 1920s to study art and photography. During this period she took the pseudonym Dora Maar and became involved in the surrealist movement.

He became an important figure in the avant-garde cultural circle, but his art was only truly recognized after his death in 1997.

Dora Maar has portrayed herself in photographs several times, long before selfies were timed, as in this recording that is part of the auction.

Self-portrait in the window, 1935

However, he would go down in world art history as one of the many muses that the Spanish Pablo Picasso, whom Jean Renoir met while he was shooting Crime de Monsieur Lange, when he had his own photography studio in Paris.

The entire collection of photos presented comes from the property of Dora Maar, who has no children. They were neatly packed in boxes and showcased Picasso’s intimate moments on the beach, with friends, and in his studio.

The auction of photographs of Picasso’s muse is expected to reach €800,000 (R$4.4 million). The draw will take place over two days, 27 and 28 June.

Each lot consists of an original negative, period contact proof, and a modern 40 x 30 cm print, produced exclusively for the auction.

Starting offers range from €1,000 (5,500) to €3,000 (R$16,500). Those who are interested can participate in the online auction.

Picasso ‘relaxes’ through his muse’s lens

Picasso made history for his art and intense love life with some simultaneous relationships. He had several girlfriends and married several times, portraying the women who inspired him in his works.

Dora Maar stayed with him until 1944, when he left Picasso for another muse, Françoise Gilot.

However, he was with the painter in the production of one of his most important works, Guernica, an oversized painting depicting the Spanish Civil War.

He also spent the seasons with Picasso on the beaches of the south of France, as seen in some of the paintings sold at auction.

Pablo Picasso under an umbrella – Cap D’Antibes, c. 1936-1937

Pablo Picasso in painting – Hotel Vaste Horizon, Mougins, summer 1937

Pablo Picasso and his dog Kazbek at Dora Maar’s Paris apartment, c. 1942

Pablo Picasso at Dora Maar’s apartment – Paris, c. 1942

Picasso works photographed by Dora Maar

Photos from the Paris auction also reveal his creations in Picasso’s studio or in exhibitions around the world.

The Woman with the Vase, Pablo Picasso Continuing – Boisgeloup, c. 1937

Women and Female Heads with Vases, by Pablo Picasso at the Spanish Pavilion at the Universal Exhibition – Paris, 1937

Statue of Pablo Picasso – Boisgeloup, c. 1937

Statues of Pablo Picasso [bustos] – Boisgeloup, c. 1937

In some of the photos at the auction, Maar is flanked by the camera as both the photographer and the object of Pablo Picasso’s work.

Plaster bust of Dora Maar in the studio of Rue des Grands Augustins – Paris, 1941

Dora Maar with a branch [desenho e colagem de Pablo Picasso], c. 1935

Picasso’s Muse, a photographer

The collection of photographs auctioned off by Dora Maar’s descendants goes far beyond the records of Pablo Picasso.

He did a little bit of everything with the camera: fashion shots, portraits, magazine reports, landscapes and a bit of experimentation, montages and abstract clicks. See some.

Models by the pool, c. 1935

Sagrada Familia – Barcelona, ​​c. 1933

Entrance and façade of Casa Milà by Antoni Gaudi – Barcelona, ​​1933

see also

Andy Warhol’s ‘Marilyn’, auctioned for R$1 billion, broke the record; see why the artist remained pop

Sunday gardener – Barcelona, ​​1933

Gymnastics article for Rester Jeune magazine, 1936

Report on the camp, c. 1935, Bivouac in the field – Dora Maar sitting on the grass by the fire

Compositions (band, record and parsley), c. 1980

Compositions (disc, triangle and planes), c. 1980

Abstract Compositions (Light Brush), c. 1980

Images: Courtesy of Artcurial / reproduced

see also