11154_01

GEORGES BRAQUE 1882-1963 Argenteuil-sur-Seine, 1882-1963 Paris (French)

Title: Nude Study (Nude) | Etude de nu (Nu), 1907-08/53

Technique: Original Hand Signed and Numbered Etching on Auvergne Laid Paper

Paper size: 49 x 33 cm. / 19.3 x 13 in.

Image size: 27.5 x 19.7 cm. / 10.8 x 7.8 in.

Additional Information: This original etching is hand signed in pencil by the artist “G Braque” at the lower right margin. It is also hand numbered in pencil from the edition of 25, at the lower left margin. The work was printed by Visat, Paris and published by Maeght Éditeur, Paris in 1953. Braque etched the plate in 1907-08 making only a few trial proofs. The edition of 25 was published in 1953 along with an edition of 30 on Rives wove paper. One of the early trial proofs from 1907-08 is held in the collection of the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris and bears a handwritten inscription from Braque to the institution.

Note: This is the first print created by Georges Braque. The plate was etched by the artist between 1907-08 and it is contemporary with a drawing with a similar composition which was held in the Collection of Douglas Cooper.

Provenance: Collection of Lois Torf (1926-2020) and Michael K. Torf (1926-1988) The collection of Lois B. Torf is one of the most significant collections of Prints and Multiples to come to market in recent years. The collection comprised important works in the print medium from every decade of the 20th century including significant holdings of Cubist prints by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. In addition to donating and loaning countless works for exhibitions, Torf served on boards and committees of many art institutions in the Boston area. For over 30 years, she was a Trustee of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which, in 1983, named a gallery in honor of the Torfs’ contributions, as well as Trustee of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston for over 20 years. Additionally, her academic committee involvement included Harvard’s Fogg Museum, Boston University School of Fine Arts and the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University.

Exhibited: “The Modern Art of the Print: Selections from the Collection of Lois and Michael Torf”, Williamstown, Massachusetts, Williams College Museum of Art; Boston, Massachusetts, Museum of Fine Arts, 5 May-14 October 1984, no. 24, pg.138 (illustrated)

Literature: Vallier D. (1982). Braque: The Complete Graphics Catalogue Raisonné. New York: Alpine Fine Arts Collection. Reference: Vallier 1