Within the art world, we associate various locations as hubs of creativity and financial movement: New York, London, and Hong Kong, where auction houses and galleries establish themselves to gain a share of these lucrative markets. However, this isn’t always the case, as there exist other peripheral markets, including that of Brazil. One such collection from the country has appeared on the market, that of Niomar Moniz Sodré Bittencourt (1916-2003).
In Brazil, this meant more than just purchasing and showcasing art. From 1964 to 1985, when a military dictatorship ruled over the country, it was hostile to her work as a journalist and a promoter of modern art, something the military found to be a threat to its ideology. She was even arrested and tried for her outspoken activism against the regime.
Over the years, Bittencourt acquired various pieces of modern art, adding them to her collection, which will go on sale with Sotheby’s Paris on 10 April. The top two lots are of particular note, as one is an auction debut of an Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) statue called Femme debout, estimated between €2.5-4 million (around US$2.7-4.3 million). This is followed by a Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) painting, Femme nue à la guitare, estimated between €1.2-1.8 million (around US$1.2-1.9 million).
The collector Niomar Moniz Sodré Bittencourt
Lot 4 | Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) | Femme debout, Bronze
Executed circa 1952
Height: 58.8 cm
Provenance:
- Niomar Moniz Sodré Bittencourt, Brazil (acquired directly from the artist in 1952)
Estimate: €2,500,000-4,000,000 (around US$2.7-4.3 million)
Considered one of the most influential and important sculptors of the 20th century, the Swiss artist Giacometti’s statues are best known for their thin and elongated visages of the human form that are made up of these incoherent textures. Giacometti described his work as “transparent construction” and said that while he was influenced by the classical busts, he sought to imbue them with a sort of surreal and existential dread.
A recurring element within Giacometti’s work was that he often portrayed in his work people whom he knew. One of the first models that he used in his sculpting work was his sister, and another who frequently appeared in his work was his younger brother, Diego. This sculpture is no different, with the inspiration coming from his wife, Annette Arm, whom he married in 1949.
The way he portrays Annette in this sculpture is inspired by “tribal art.” While it’s not specified where this inspiration came from, Giacometti may have been to a colonial exhibition, which was an event held by colonial powers to promote their empires, including art, to the general population. In 1922, the year Giacometti moved to France, the Exposition coloniale de Marseille was held, and it’s not hard to imagine that the Swiss artist was inspired by a sanitized viewing of French imperialism in Africa or Asia.
Giacometti was also inspired by trips to the Louvre, especially when he viewed Egyptian art. In particular, he drew on their usage of volume. All these inspirations are reflected in this statue of Annette, which displays a density and fullness of form. Her firm and tall posture is indicative of that “tribal art” and fertility figures. The technique and density Giacometti used to make Annette’s body are pulled from Egyptian inspiration, as well as a more general focus on femininity.
Annette and Alberto in the latter's studio in 1955
Alberto, whose hands are the only visible parts, sculpting his wife Anette in 1962
He was born in southeastern Switzerland in 1901. His father, Giovanni Giacometti, was a well-known post-impressionist painter, and thus, he was encouraged to explore the arts academically. In 1922, he moved to Paris, where he began his career focused on Surrealism and Cubism. His sculpting years began in the mid-1930s, with his work first focusing on the head before he began working on these elongated limbs.
His works during the 1950s were perhaps the most intense of his career, as he was at the peak of his creative output. This statue is no different, as it is a great deal of complexity combined with a technical mastery of bronze and how to craft it to give it the desired results.
The piece is incredibly long, just shy of two feet; it towers over other similar Giacometti works. Furthermore, the material itself was not elongated or reduced in any way. Instead, the imprints on the body of the sculpture are these dense spots of material where Giacometti worked with his fingers, creating these ripples of texture that also presumably stretched out the work.
The side-view of the piece shows how it was one piece of bronze; however, it was not mechanically elongated when it was made
The texture of the sculpture comes from where the fingers sunk into the bronze being worked and the metal slowly being pushed out in the process of the woman taking form
Bittencourt directly acquired this statue from Giacometti in 1952. This was well before the 1964 coup and before she became heavily scrutinized by the military government. In 1955, Bittencourt founded the Museu de Arte Moderna (MAM) in Rio de Janeiro, which was extremely popular from the get-go and which still welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors a year.
A key part of this popularity boom was the acquisition of art by prestigious artists by Bittencourt, sometimes directly from the artist, as seen with this lot. Other artists such as Jackson Pollock and Pablo Picasso were, in addition to Giacometti, part of Bittencourt’s network of artists that she directly acquired from enhancing the quality of her collection and museum.
Lot 7 | Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) | Femme nue à la guitare, Oil on panel
Executed in 1909
26.8 x 17.8 cm
Provenance:
- Galerie Kahnweiler, Paris (ph. no. 76) (acquired directly from the artist)
- Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 2ème vente de séquestre de la collection Henri Kahnweiler, 17-18 November 1921, lot 179 (consigned by the above)
- André Breton, Paris (acquired at the above sale)
- Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York
- Niomar Moniz Sodré Bittencourt, Brazil
Estimate: €1,200,000-1,900,000 (around US$1.2-1.9 million)
1909 is regarded as one of the most important periods for Spain’s most important artist: Pablo Picasso. By this point, he was already a key figure within the avant-garde movement, with 1909 seeing Picasso delve more into experimentation and breaks from traditional methods. There were significant changes in the way Picasso used and observed space in his art, which in turn paved the way for cubism to appear in his work. This painting, which is on sale, Femme nue à la guitare is an example of that kind of development.
Possibly produced in Picasso’s Bateau-Lavoir studio between 1905 and 1909, this painting is fairly revolutionary as it incorporates these deep angles in shapes that give off a proto-cubism, especially regarding the central subject, whose identity is unknown but could be the model, and first muse of Picasso, Fernande Olivier. There is also a fragmentation and compartmentalization of the limbs and parts of the subject's body. It is not as pronounced as Picasso’s future works, but it does showcase the beginning of this key Picasso motif.
Pablo Picasso in the 1920s
Fernande Olivier, Picasso's muse and model, who is possibly the subject of this painting
The influence of the work of French Impressionist Paul Cézanne can be seen in this painting. There is a rejection of traditional angles and perspectives, along with a use of shadows on the facial features to loosen up their definition. There is also an element of Cézanne when it comes to the proportions of the work and how there is a deliberate warping of space, which leads to a heightening of the entire work.
The color palette of this work is also of note, as it is a fairly muted painting. It is dominated by gray and dark brown tones, but with parts that are bright red, dark green, or a pale skin tone. As such, the colors serve to segment and create the divisions within the painting, structuring its different components and showcasing how the painting is a sum of its parts.
The 1958 exhibit, organized by Bittencourt and held at the MAM which focused solely on works by Picasso from 1909
Bittencourt played an important role in the provenance and history of this painting. Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, a major German art dealer who operated in France, acquired the work directly from Picasso. Kahnweiler was one of the earliest dealers to be interested in Cubism and promoted the movement. The painting then went on to André Breton, a French poet and writer who acquired the work in 1921 due to his interest and pioneering role in Surrealism and the theory surrounding it.
The work briefly passed through New York City before Bittencourt acquired it. Bittencourt would then put the work on display in the MAM, showcasing that she didn’t just see the art as collectibles but sought to promote work that was provoking and historically important. In 1958, this painting, along with others, made up an exhibition surrounding Picasso's works from 1909, solidifying Bittencourt’s role in highlighting this as a key period in Picasso’s catalog of works.
Other Highlighted Lots:
Lot 5 | Nicolas de Staël (1914-1955) | Etude pour Le Parc des Princes, Oil on canvas
Executed in 1952
18.7 x 24 cm
Provenance:
- Niomar Moniz Sodré Bittencourt, Brazil (acquired directly from the artist in 1952)
Estimate: €300,000-500,000 (around US$324,000-539,000)
Lot 6 | Piero Manzoni (1933-1963) | Achrome, Bread and kaolin
Executed circa 1962
Unframed: 19.5 x 27.8 x 2.8 cm | Framed: 43 x 51.4 x 2.9 cm
Provenance:
- Comtesse Manzoni, Milan
- Galerie Mathias Fels, Paris
- Niomar Moniz Sodré Bittencourt, Brazil (acquired from the above in 1970)
Estimate: €250,000-350,000 (around US$270,000-378,000)
Lot 2 | Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985) | Instance, Vinyl on paper
Executed on 10 May 1965
67 x 50 cm
Provenance:
- Galerie Jeanne Bucher, Paris
- Niomar Moniz Sodré Bittencourt, Brazil (acquired from the above in 1966)
Estimate: €250,000-350,000 (around US$270,000-378,000)
Lot 10 | Serge Poliakoff (1900-1969) | Composition orange, Oil on canvas
Executed in 1955
130 x 97.2 cm
Provenance:
- Galerie L. Bourdon, Paris
- Niomar Moniz Sodré Bittencourt, Brazil (acquired from the above in 1956)
Estimate: €250,000-350,000 (around US$270,000-378,000)
Lot 3 | Pierre Soulages (1919-2022) | Composition, Gouache and walnut stain on paper
Executed in 1953
65 x 51 cm
Provenance:
- Niomar Moniz Sodré Bittencourt, Brazil (acquired directly from the artist)
Estimate: €250,000-350,000 (around US$270,000-378,000)
Auction Details:
Auction House: Sotheby's Paris
Sale: Collection Niomar Moniz Sodré Bittencourt | La Liberté pour dogme
Date: 10 April 2025 | 4:00 pm (Paris Local Time)
Number of Lots: 66