The Boudoir Painting That Set Picabia's Auction Record

Francis Picabia's Pavonia (1929) sold for $11.01m (EUR10m) at Sotheby's in Paris on March 16, 2022. The oil on canvas work, which had a guarantee, had been traded 3 times in the past.

Picabia was among the dozen avant-garde artists, including Giorgio de Chirico, Fernand Léger and Max Ernst, commissioned by the art dealer Léonce Rosenberg to decorate his new, ultra chic apartment in Paris in 1928-29.

Picabia created a series of panels, known as "transparencies", for the bedroom of Madame Rosenberg, which included Pavonia. Inspired by classical mythology, the overlapping figures, flowers and architectural details in Picabia's work evoke a sensuous and surreal dream.

The Rosenbergs' house-warming party at 75, Rue de Longchamp, was a glittering Parisian society event but the extravagant dealer was heading for a financial crash. His gallery, L’Effort Moderne, went bust in 1931 and the family was forced to move to ever smaller apartments. He had to sell off his stellar inventory, including the apartment's decorative panels and paintings, sometimes at a loss.

In 2024, the Musée National Picasso-Paris organized the exhibition "Léonce Rosenberg's Apartment", which featured Picabia's contribution to the gallerist's folie de grandeur.

The sale beat Picabia’s previous auction record by $2.22m, a 25% rise. The artist's previous record was set by Volucelle II (1922), which sold for $8.79m at Sotheby's on November 6, 2013.

A Brief History of Picabia at Auction