During the “Looking Forward to the Past” auction at Christie’s held in May, Picasso’s painting “Les Femmes d’ Alger (Version ‘O’)” sold for $179.4 million, becoming the highest selling painting on the record, reported the New York Times.
“It is part of a 15-work series Picasso created in 1954-1955 designated with the letters A to O,” explained The Telegraph. The painting that broke auction record was the last one in the series.
Paris-based dealer Thomas Bompard said, “It is incredibly difficult to find big, A-plus-quality Picassos fresh to the market. It is a price for a unique thing. You can’t replace a painting like that.”
Picasso (1881-1973) is one of the major representatives of Western Modern Art in painting. His works frequently have been included in auctions of Impressionist and Modern art, said the New York Times.
Ponico Banda, a senior from Philippines majoring in ICS and graphic design certificate said, “I know Picasso is one of the greatest painters who ever lived, many of his works are displayed in museums in Paris and cost millions of dollars.”
Jiang Bing, a senior majoring in business from China shared her thoughts about this painting. “It is a colorful painting. When I look it for a while, I thought the woman in the corner is so sad. She is looking for freedom and power to save her through her face and the body painting.”
Yu Teng Cheng, a recent graduate from Hong Kong who majored in graphic design shared her opinion. “I like the painting, it looks busy but at the same time the woman stand out from other colorful object. It seems a lot of Picasso’s art works are all colorful.”
Stephanie Davis, a senior from Nevada majoring in graphic design has different opinion. She said, “ I don’t like it because of the idea that this could be a ‘party’ and women are nude.”
The creation of Picasso’s "Les Femmes d' Alger" series began in December 1954, inspired by Delacroix's 1834 painting "Women of Algiers." Picasso’s established innovation of Cubism, Fauvism, Neo-Impressionism and many other elements were fused in the series of paintings, according to The Observer.
Picasso meant the painting to be a tribute both to Delacroix and his friend and rival artist Henri Matisse, wrote the DailyMail.
Another Picasso’s 1938 painting, “Buste de femme (Femme á la résille),” portrait of Dora Maar, sold in the auction with $67.4 million; the 1948 painting, “Femme au Chignon Dans un Fauteuil,” sold for $29.9 million, reported the New York Times.