Black chalk on card stock, circa 1924. 267x210 mm; 10 1/2x8 1/2 inches. Signed in chalk, lower right recto, and inscribed "SATIE" in chalk, upper left recto.
Provenance: Private collection, Brittany, France.
Erik Satie (1866-1925) was an avant-garde composer tied to Dada and Surrealism who disregarded traditional tonal structures in preference of a spare, tense style. He was friends with many artists, including Picabia (1879-1953).
In 1924, Picabia and Satie collaborated on the ballet Relâche that also contained a film titled Entr'acte shown at intermission and directed by René Clair. Relâche translates to "Theatre Closed" and is a Dadaist work with nonsensical elements such as a dancer dressed as a fireman wandering the stage pouring water from one bucket to another. Entr'acte also included a composition by Satie, which was the first ever instance of a film score composed frame-by-frame to match the visuals.
