Found in the Art Collection of Sitadevi of Baroda, the Scene de Corrida was an ink drawing by the famed painter Pablo Picasso. While it is not known as to how Sita Devi came to possess the drawing, it is certain that it was in her possession for some time. This fact was proved to be true by the catalog titled -Vente de la Collection de la Maharani de Baroda, which documented all her art possession during a period of financial instability.
Sita Devi:
Sita Devi was the second wife of Maharaja Pratapsinhrao Gaekwad, both of whom were known for the extravagance and spending sprees. She was an ultra-sophisticated socialite, renowned for her fabulous collection of jewels and works of art many of which were taken from the Baroda State treasury.
The Painting :
The Baroda Picasso was called SCÈNE DE CORRIDA or Scene of Bullfighting. Information search of this painting reveals that Bullfight Scene is a brush and ink drawing on paper made by Picasso in the château of Vauvenargues, near Aix-en-Provence, where he and his partner Jacqueline Roque had moved in 1958. Executed on 25 February 1960, this is number ten of fourteen drawings on the theme of the bullfight that Picasso made on the same day.
Bullfight Scene illustrates a dramatic moment in which the picador spears the bull as it charges, while the matador stands in the background, ready to step in for the final phase of the killing to begin. They were first shown at the Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris, at the end of 1960, together with other subjects inspired by Spain.
This drawing remained in the private collection until it was sold at Sotheby in London in 2002. The buyer then resold it again in May 2009. The painting went for a whopping 170,500 USD. It is now owned by the Tate Gallery in London.
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