Joaquín Sunyer Miró
Woman Drying Herself

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Images(2)

Artist Joaquín Sunyer Miró(Spanish, 1874–1956)Spanish, 1874–1956

CultureSpanish

Titles

Woman Drying Herself

Datec. 1900

PlaceParis, France

MediumPastel, pencil, and wash on board

Dimensionssheet: 10 1/2 × 11 in. (26.7 × 27.9 cm)

Credit LineJohn A. and Audrey Jones Beck Collection, gift of Audrey Jones Beck

Object number79.21

Current Location

The Audrey Jones Beck Building

223 Beck Galleries

On view

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Department

European Art, Beck Collection

Special Collections

Object Type

DRAWINGS, PASTELS & WATERCOLORS

ProvenanceFernando Benet, Barcelona (as Sunyer) [1]; Mr. and Mrs. Herbert L. Matthews, New York, 1964 (erroneously attributed to Picasso) [2]; [sale, Sotheby & Co., London, “Impressionist and Modern Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture,” April 29, 1964, lot 43 as “La Toilette,” (erroneously attributed to Picasso), illus.] [3]; purchased by Mr. and Mrs. John A. Beck, Houston, 1964; given to MFAH, 1979 [4].

[1] Letter from the son of the artist Joaquim Sunyer, Jaime Sunyer, to Kelly Laskosky of the MFAH dated November 8, 1996 provides information concerning the authorship and provenance of this work, likely in reference to a 1974 publication. A file photograph by Serra (Neg. 9.795-A), thought to have been taken in 1930, depicts a signature by “Sunyer,” in the upper left quadrant. [See MFAH object file for all references-accessed by Robert McD. Parker, April 2024.]

[2] Erroneously published by Christian Zervos in the Pablo Picasso catalogue raisonné (Z.VI.397) as a work by Picasso. The date of the acquisition by Mr. and Mrs. Herbert L. Matthews is currently unknown. Mr. Matthews (1900-1977) was an American journalist known for his reporting on the Spanish Civil War.

[3] One of three works purchased by the Becks at this 1964 sale: [lot 32-Vuillard “Femme assise devant une lampe”, lot 43 Sunyer’s pastel “La Toilette,” which was erroneously attributed to Picasso in the sales catalogue, and lot 116 Rouault’s “Pierrot.” Two of these works were later gifted to the MFAH.

[4] The pastel was re-attributed to Sunyer by the MFAH at least by July 10, 1978, when an underlying signature by Sunyer was discovered. [MFAH object file-accessed by Robert McD. Parker, April 2024.]

Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Signed "Picasso" by another hand

View this object in The Beck Collection

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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