


Adèle préparant le tub et Ketty aux bras levés
1932
Completed in 1932, this original drypoint lithograph by Suzanne Valadon captures two female figures in the intimate rhythms of a private domestic moment. Adèle bends in quiet preparation while Ketty raises her arms in a gesture that reads as both candid and monumental, the two poses creating a natural counterpoint that speaks to Valadon's lifelong fascination with the unguarded female body. Printed by the renowned Parisian printer Daragnès on BFK Rives vélin, the work carries the refined material quality associated with the finest French printmaking of the interwar period, and is recorded in the Pétrides catalogue raisonné under entry E10. Valadon brings to the subject the same unflinching directness that distinguished her paintings, rejecting idealized or decorative treatments of the nude in favor of figures that feel observed rather than arranged. The drypoint technique, with its characteristic burr and velvety line, suits her approach well, lending the composition a warmth and physicality that reinforces the intimacy of the scene. This edition of 75, signed in pencil by the artist, represents a deliberate act of dissemination, placing museum-quality work within reach of a serious private collection without diminishing its singular character. For collectors drawn to early twentieth-century works on paper, this piece occupies a particularly rewarding position. It belongs to the final decade of Valadon's career, when her authority as a figure artist was fully consolidated and her place in the Parisian avant-garde long established. A signed, catalogued impression of this quality, printed under controlled conditions by a master printer, offers both aesthetic substance and documentary significance for any collection focused on the School of Paris or the history of women in modern art.
- Medium
- Lithograph
- Sheet
- Signed
- Yes
- Location
- Libretis, Paris
- Spotted At
- Gallery · LibretisView on map
For Sale — €2000
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