551 - Pablo Picasso (1881 Málaga – Mougins near Cannes 1973)

Pablo Picasso (1881 Málaga – Mougins near Cannes 1973) Faun Playing the Flute and Dancer with a Maraca and Tambourine Etching on Arches handmade paper. (1945). Approx. 26.5 x 34.5 cm (sheet size approx. 32.5 x 50 cm). Only one of 9 known copies of this state. Signed lower right. A total of only 18 proofs of the various printing states are documented. Baer 702 II a (of b); Bloch 1341. • Extremely rare etching with no regular edition • One of only 9 proof copies of this print state documented by Baer • Depiction from Picasso’s postwar mythological imagery After the end of World War II, Picasso increasingly focused on figures from ancient mythology. The faun, in particular, became a recurring motif in his works created in Antibes and Golfe-Juan in southern France. In this etching, Picasso combines the flute-playing faun with a dancer to create a cheerful scene defined by music and movement. The work was created in September 1945 in Antibes and was not published as part of a regular edition. The few surviving proofs make this print a particularly rare piece within his body of printmaking work. Provenance: Private collection, USA. Taxation: subject to regular taxation (VAT: Regular Taxation).