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polity french fourth republicconcept:era modern

Les Femmes d'Alger (Version O)

Oil on canvas by Pablo Picasso, completed 14 February 1955. The fifteenth and final painting in the 'Les Femmes d'Alger' series, a 15-canvas riff on Delacroix's Women of Algiers in Their Apartment (1834). Sold at Christie's New York, 11 May 2015, for $179,365,000 — then the world auction record for any artwork. Now in private collection.

Scholarly Significance

Anchor the Cubist / Picasso market node with his highest-priced auction work. Also a key example of his late-period dialogue with Old Masters.

Notes

  • ·The series was Picasso's direct response to viewing Delacroix's Women of Algiers (1834) at the Louvre after his companion Jacqueline Roque reminded him of the similarity between herself and one of the figures.
  • ·Version 'O' is the most monumental of the 15, combining elements from across the series. The letters A–O mark the paintings chronologically (December 1954 – February 1955).
  • ·The Ganz purchase price of ~$7,000 vs. 2015 sale price of $179M represents a compound annual growth rate of roughly 16% over 59 years — an extreme example of art as an investment asset.