Sara Cochran reconsiders Francis Picabia's WWII figurative paintings
Sara Cochran's research sheds new light on Francis Picabia's figurative nude paintings from the Second World War, long dismissed as a commercial misstep. Postwar critics viewed these works as anti-abstraction, suspecting Picabia of Nazi sympathies, and categorized them as custom commercial art for dealer André Romanet of Algiers. Cochran argues that Picabia sought to restore female flesh and establish a dialogue between his painting and the photographic models he used.
Key facts
- Picabia's figurative nude paintings from WWII were considered a career error until the 1970s.
- Abstraction was seen as anti-Nazi, while Picabia's figurative works raised suspicions.
- Postwar critics classified these works as commercial art for dealer André Romanet.
- André Romanet was a dealer based in Algiers.
- Sara Cochran's research reinterprets this period of Picabia's work.
- Cochran highlights Picabia's intent to restore female flesh in his paintings.
- Picabia's work engaged in a dialogue between painting and photographic models.
- The article is an excerpt from Cochran's thesis published in artpress.
Entities
Artists
- Francis Picabia
Institutions
- artpress
Locations
- Algiers
- Algeria
Sources
- artpress —