Nine Picasso flown from Paris by the Kootz Gallery New York
The Kootz gallery albums include photographs of and an invitation to a modified version of the exhibition held from April 15 to 30, 1947 in Hollywood, at the gallery-residence belonging to Earl Stendahl, "The Nine Picassos [DB1] flown from Paris by the Kootz Gallery New York."[i] Although the photographs clearly show The Sailor, a portrait of Dora Maar and the Woman with a Sheep's Skull, it seems as though the other paintings are not the same ones that Kootz had shown in New York a few months earlier; two still lifes and two portraits of women complete the ensemble. One of them is the magnificent Woman in Green, painted in 1944 [Z. XIII, 49, Fondation Beyeler], which was broadly discussed and reproduced in the California press. The addition of these four pieces continues to be a mystery. Although we could assume that the pieces not shown in Hollywood had been sold in January 1947, we have been unable to determine the provenance of the new paintings. Were they already in the United States? Did Kootz have them sent from Picasso's studio? Did he go back to get them personally? There is no question but that the dealer did everything within his power to broaden his clientele, promote his young painters–whose paintings he had also brought along– and consolidate his reputation as an international art dealer; but all the hypotheses as to how this show was organized remain open. A letter dated April 29, 1947 confirms that Kootz informed Picasso about the matter: "I have just returned from a trip to Hollywood where I showed a few of your pictures and some of my American group. The trip was very successful in the interest aroused as well as sales. I was amused, however, to find that most of the Hollywood movie stars haven’t any real conception of your work beyond 1901; your new work almost knocked them over."[ii] However, although Picasso was interested in the dealer's efforts, there are doubts as to the actual interaction between the two, because at the end of that same letter Kootz mentions his surprise at not having heard from Picasso about his upcoming trip to Antibes in August.
Pablo Picasso, The Woman in Green, 1944.
the gallery-residence belonging to Earl Stendahl, "Nine Picasso flown from Paris by the Kootz Gallery New York" -April 15 to 30, 1947 in Hollywood.
the gallery-residence belonging to Earl Stendahl, "Nine Picasso flown from Paris by the Kootz Gallery New York" -April 15 to 30, 1947 in Hollywood.
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Summary
Pablo Picasso, The Woman in Green, 1944.
the gallery-residence belonging to Earl Stendahl, "Nine Picasso flown from Paris by the Kootz Gallery New York" -April 15 to 30, 1947 in Hollywood.
the gallery-residence belonging to Earl Stendahl, "Nine Picasso flown from Paris by the Kootz Gallery New York" -April 15 to 30, 1947 in Hollywood.