A weekly look a great art opportunities

1. This week’s highlighted work of art…

2. In a challenging economic atmosphere, one ruled by the threat of
inflation or recession, financial analysts have observed that
historically "smart money" flows in the direction of perceived hard
assets as a hedge. In the past this flow has been away from the
stock market and in the direction of such assets as real estate,
gold or art. The circumstances in today's market have
emphatically removed real estate from this list as values have
been dropping nationwide. Gold is a desperate defensive move,
and its value can be just as risky as the market. This leaves art,
particularly that of internationally recognized Masters, which has
remained stable in value. Such art is recognized as a safe haven
alternative not subject to the extreme volatility seen elsewhere in
today's market. Art of this nature also carries residual benefits
being critically recognized manifestations of artistic achievement
in history that enhance the quality of life and can become a legacy
for one's family.
I thought creating a “work of the week” would be a great way to
exhibit important works of art to those who may not have the time
to seek it out through a gallery or advisor. I am certainly available
for anyone who has questions or curiosities on the featured work,
artist, or any or matter related.
Going through my inventory I am often struck by works that
stand out for a variety of reasons. These reasons could be any of
the following: extreme rarity, phenomenal provenance, excellent
examples of an artist’s oeuvre, great bargains, or even
masterpieces of the history of art. Anytime you have any of those
stated qualities in a work of art by a Master, you are making a
wise decision.
This week’s chosen work is a linocut by Picasso, Femme Au
Chapeau De Paille Bleue (Woman in a Blue Hat). It can easily be
stated that Picasso was not only one of the most important artists
of the twentieth century, but of the history of art as well. Not only
did Picasso create new ways visual expression, but he was also
instrumental in challenging the ways art is created, particularly

3. within the graphic medium. Whether through etching,
lithography, or linocuts, Picasso not only mastered the method but
innovated it as well.
Picasso’s linocut prints are amongst the greatest, and technically
most inspirational color prints of the 20th century. While in
etching, and even in lithography, it had been the monochrome
play of single ink tones which had interested him, in linocut he
found a print medium in which he could give full range to his use
of color. Picasso made his first linocuts trials in 1958, and his first
prints in mid 1959. He was attracted to linocut because, like
woodcut, it created flat surfaces from which either even tones or
textured areas could be printed and it could be easily carved
allowing both freedom and perfection of cut. At first he followed
the traditional idea of using a separate block for each color,
printing one over the other. However he quickly changed his
approach. He discovered that if he worked from the boldest forms
in the image down to the finest he could print multiple colors from
a single block, cutting away at the surface at each stage. This had
the result of building a tremendous solidity of tone in the parts
that were constantly overprinted and a unique translucence in
each cutaway part.
In "Femme au chapeau de paille bleue" he experimented with two
blocks, one for the face and one for the hat, successively reducing
each one for printing in different colors. For some reason,
however, the experiment was never completed and a signed and
numbered edition was never published and issued. The surviving
proofs remained in his studio at the time of his death, many of
which, like this one, became part of the collection of his
granddaughter, Marina Picasso. Provenance speaking, this is
phenomenal not only because she was a direct descendant of
Picasso, but also because her inheirited collection is an important
one and has been exhibited widely.
With this print we have rarity as less than 10% of his graphic
output was either a linocut or in color, phenomenal provenance, as
well as a phenomenal example of both Picasso and twentieth

4. century printmaking. Plus, financially speaking, this is a relative
steal compared to his linocut market.

5. PICASSO, Pablo (Spanish, 1881-1973)
Femme Au Chapeau De Paille Bleue (Woman in a Blue Hat)
Year: January 16,1962
Original linocut printed in three colors (yellow, red, light blue) from two blocks on
wove paper bearing a portion of the Arches block letter watermark.
A fine poof impression of Baer’s state “B.b” (The plate defining the face printed
in two colors [red, yellow], the plate defining the hat printed in one color [light
blue]), one of the 86 proofs printed in these three colors (Baer “B.b”). The
intended edition was abandoned and the linocut went unpublished. The proofs
were printed by Hidalgo Arnera, Vallauris.
Catalog: Baer 1282 B.b; (not in bloch)
Image: 13 3/4 x 10 5/8 inches Sheet: 24 1/8 x 17 1/2 inches
In excellent condition, with strong, fresh colors, printed on a sheet with wide
margins.
Provenance: ex-collection Marina Picasso, bearing a portion of her collection
stamp (not in Lugt) in violet ink verso.
Literature: Emmanuel Benador, Picasso Printmaker: A Perpetual Metamorphosis,
QCC Art Gallery, The City University of New York, Bayside, New York, 2008, p.
318 (ill.).

6. PICASSO, Pablo (Spanish, 1881-1973)
Femme Au Chapeau De Paille Bleue (Woman in a Blue Hat)
Year: January 16,1962
Original linocut printed in three colors (yellow, red, light blue) from two blocks on
wove paper bearing a portion of the Arches block letter watermark.
A fine poof impression of Baer’s state “B.b” (The plate defining the face printed
in two colors [red, yellow], the plate defining the hat printed in one color [light
blue]), one of the 86 proofs printed in these three colors (Baer “B.b”). The
intended edition was abandoned and the linocut went unpublished. The proofs
were printed by Hidalgo Arnera, Vallauris.
Catalog: Baer 1282 B.b; (not in bloch)
Image: 13 3/4 x 10 5/8 inches Sheet: 24 1/8 x 17 1/2 inches
In excellent condition, with strong, fresh colors, printed on a sheet with wide
margins.
Provenance: ex-collection Marina Picasso, bearing a portion of her collection
stamp (not in Lugt) in violet ink verso.
Literature: Emmanuel Benador, Picasso Printmaker: A Perpetual Metamorphosis,
QCC Art Gallery, The City University of New York, Bayside, New York, 2008, p.
318 (ill.).