Pablo Picasso's Femme assise pres d'une fenetre (Marie-Therese) (Woman Sitting Near a Window), a 1932 portrait of his young lover painted in spring-like colours, is going up for auction with Christie's New York in May, with hopes it will fetch at least $55 million.
The May evening sale also boasts a Warhol, from the artist's Nine Multicolored Marilyns (Reversal Series) (1979-86), with an estimate of $7 million, and Claude Monet's Waterloo Bridge, effet de brouillard (1889-1903), whose estimate is available on inquiry.
If there is a 20th-century artist that resonates with a huge variety of people, it's an artist like Picasso
Vanessa Fusco, the senior vice president for Impressionist & Modern Art, and co-head of the 20th Century sale in May, describes the Picasso work as hovering between painting and sculpture, with the voluptuous head of Picasso's young lover Marie-Therese Walther built up in thickly applied white pigment, which was then incised to create the outline of her face.
Walther, who was only 17 when she met Picasso – then in his fifties – looks regal and imposing, in contrast to other images of the period that depict her as the "object of his gaze of his desire", says the New York specialist.
The painting was made at a crucial time in Picasso’s life, when he had felt the pressure of coming up with something as groundbreaking as Cubism had been – and, domestically, felt trapped in a fraught marriage.
“He had just turned 50 years old, and he was a well-established artist,” Fusco says. “Two things happen: he meets Marie-Therese Walther, who is a huge force of energy, and he falls absolutely in love. And you really see this incredible transformation in his work, with 1932 being considered the high point of this outpouring of colour and sensuousness and voluptuous lines that he uses to depict Marie-Therese.”
The work is coming to auction less than a decade after it first made waves for selling at $44.8m, at Sotheby’s London in 2013.
Christie’s has secured a third-party guarantee for it at £55 million, meaning a collector has confirmed to buy it at that amount – though the auction house hopes that bids will drive that price higher.
While there has been a demonstrable appetite from buyers in recent months, auction houses have had more difficulty convincing sellers it is a safe time to put high-value works at auction. The presence of the Picasso and other pieces in the forthcoming sale, however, suggests these fears are beginning to dispel.
The houses are also looking increasingly towards Asia. Picasso's Marie-Therese portrait has now finished a three-day exhibition in Hong Kong, and it is travelling next to London before returning to New York.
“Our touring locations are very strategic for the types of clients we are trying to reach,” says Fusco.
“Picasso is such a draw… if there is a 20th-century artist that resonates with a huge variety of people, it’s an artist like Picasso. And the fact that this is a very timeless image will also help sell it right now.”
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
SQUADS
South Africa:
Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Dane Paterson, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada
Coach: Ottis Gibson
Bangladesh:
Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Mustafizur Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed.
Coach: Chandika Hathurusingha
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
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Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
MATCH INFO
World Cup qualifier
Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')
UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2
Watford 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Newcastle United 3 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Southampton 0
Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 2
Manchester United 2 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1
Chelsea 2 Everton 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Burnley 1
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0
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PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
1 Man City 26 20 3 3 63 17 63
2 Liverpool 25 17 6 2 64 20 57
3 Chelsea 25 14 8 3 49 18 50
4 Man Utd 26 13 7 6 44 34 46
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5 West Ham 26 12 6 8 45 34 42
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6 Arsenal 23 13 3 7 36 26 42
7 Wolves 24 12 4 8 23 18 40
8 Tottenham 23 12 4 8 31 31 39
