Portrait of Angel Fernandez de Soto
Encyclopedia
Portrait of Angel Fernández de Soto (also known as The Absinthe Drinker) is a portrait
by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso
completed in 1903 during his Blue Period. The oil painting
depicts Picasso's friend and fellow painter, Angel Fernandez de Soto, in a bar with a glass of absinthe
. The painting was previously owned by musical theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber
. On 23 June 2010, the painting was sold at auction for £34.7 million.
in Barcelona
. Fernández de Soto was later killed in the Spanish Civil War
.
The Andrew Lloyd Webber Art Foundation purchased the painting for £18 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York
in 1995. The painting was included in a selection of works from Lloyd Webber’s collection, which was exhibited at London’s Royal Academy of Arts in 2003.
auction of Impressionist and Modern art in London on 23 June 2010.
The painting became the most highly estimated work of art to be offered at auction in Europe, with a pre-sale estimate of between £30–40 million. Jussi Pylkkanen, president of Christie's Europe division said the painting is "one of the most important works of art to be offered at auction in decades". On 23 June 2010, the painting came to auction and was sold for £34.7 million to an anonymous telephone bidder.
Portrait painting
Portrait painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to depict the visual appearance of the subject. Beside human beings, animals, pets and even inanimate objects can be chosen as the subject for a portrait...
by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
completed in 1903 during his Blue Period. The oil painting
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
depicts Picasso's friend and fellow painter, Angel Fernandez de Soto, in a bar with a glass of absinthe
Absinthe
Absinthe is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage. It is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, commonly referred to as "grande wormwood", together with green anise and sweet fennel...
. The painting was previously owned by musical theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
. On 23 June 2010, the painting was sold at auction for £34.7 million.
Background
Portrait of Angel Fernández de Soto is a study of a young Spanish artist sitting in a bar, shrouded in tobacco smoke from a pipe, with a glass of absinthe in front of him. The young man, Fernández de Soto, was Picasso's friend and was usually referred to as an "amusing wastrel", as he enjoyed drinking and partying. Picasso met Fernández de Soto in 1899 and they twice shared studios in Barcelona. The portrait gives an insight into the life of Picasso and his circle of friends, and Picasso immortalized Fernández de Soto in several of his paintings, some of which are now held in the Museu PicassoMuseu Picasso
The Museu Picasso in Barcelona, Spain, has one of the most extensive collections of artworks by the 20th century Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. This is one of the most popular and most visited museums in Barcelona. The museum is housed in five adjoining medieval palaces in Barcelona's La Ribera.The...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. Fernández de Soto was later killed in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
.
The Andrew Lloyd Webber Art Foundation purchased the painting for £18 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1995. The painting was included in a selection of works from Lloyd Webber’s collection, which was exhibited at London’s Royal Academy of Arts in 2003.
Dispute over ownership
In 2006, Lloyd Webber announced that he would be selling Portrait of Angel Fernandez de Soto at auction for charity. However, the painting was withdrawn from auction after a claim that the previous owner was forced to sell it under duress from the Nazi regime in Germany. The previous owner's family reached an out-of-court settlement with the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, which allowed the foundation to retain ownership of the painting and to be free to sell the work.2010 auction
In March 2010, it was announced that Lloyd Webber had made the decision to auction off the painting to benefit his arts, culture and heritage charity foundation. The painting was to be included in a Christie'sChristie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
auction of Impressionist and Modern art in London on 23 June 2010.
The painting became the most highly estimated work of art to be offered at auction in Europe, with a pre-sale estimate of between £30–40 million. Jussi Pylkkanen, president of Christie's Europe division said the painting is "one of the most important works of art to be offered at auction in decades". On 23 June 2010, the painting came to auction and was sold for £34.7 million to an anonymous telephone bidder.