Pablo PICASSO (1881-1973) - Lot 79

Pablo PICASSO (1881-1973) Two figures and dove. III September 1956 Blue and red colored pencils on paper. 27 x 21 cm Inscribed lower right on front "III". Provenance: - Galerie Paco Rebés, Barcelona. - Private collection, acquired from Galerie Paco Rebés. Bibliography : - C. ZERVOS, Pablo Picasso. Oeuvres de 1956 à 1957, Paris, Cahiers d'Art, 1966, n°178. - G. GOSSELIN (dir), Picasso et la Presse: un peintre dans l'histoire, Paris, L'Humanité & Editions Cercles d'Art, 2000, p. 164. - Association France-Espagne, Calendar 1957. Exhibition: Galerie Paco REBES, Picasso, Barcelona, October 1986, n°25 (Reproduced in the catalog, which may be given to the purchaser). Comment: Christian Zervos' book mentions different dimensions for this drawing, but the Picasso Committee, after examining the work on January 13, 2026, recognized its authenticity and the error in the dimensions indicated in the book. This work is registered in the archives of the Picasso Committee under reference 0368. A certificate from the Picasso Committee dated February 9, 2026 will be given to the buyer. Our work is part of a series of drawings dating from late summer 1956. At that time, France was shaken by the terrible confrontations in Algeria. While Morocco and Tunisia had just gained their independence, the fighting in Algeria was intensifying, and the international repercussions were being felt, notably in the Suez Canal affair. Our drawing is a call for peace and rapprochement, with two faces in blue, [white], and red crowned by a dove holding a branch. The two faces are an allegory of France and Algeria, whose return to peace is hoped for. According to Paco Rebés, these drawings were probably tests for publication in newspapers, but no posters or publications appear to have taken place.