This three-quarter bust of a young blonde woman was featured in the second Volume of the Catalogue Raisonné of Foujita’s Work, published by ACR éditions in 2001, page 297 no. 30.70.
It reappeared 22 years later, identical, yet with one notable difference: its partially erased signature.
Was it an unfortunate excess of cleaning or accidental? It is difficult to say. In any case, this clearly demonstrates Foujita’s use of India ink when signing his work. The artist managed to blend water and oil to create the illusion of a drawing on paper… much to the dismay of the owners of his paintings, which are so fragile to preserve.
However, this almost natural wear of the pictorial layer did not penalize the sale of this painting, typical of Foujita’s white and milky period.
A preparatory drawing is reproduced in the same Volume 2 of the Catalogue Raisonné, page 298 no. 30.84.
