Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David) b. 1934
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Angel of the Seaetching with ink and watercolour
edition of 2514.7 x 11.7cm -
Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Artichoke and Garlic Still Lifewatercolour and ink on paper50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Blue and Whiteoil on board32 x 42cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Boy and Horseoil on gesso board30 x 25cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Breakfast with Japanese Tablecloth, Albert Housewatercolour and ink on paper40 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Breman Sylvetteoil and charcoal on board86 x 65cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Bremen Christmas Treewatercolour and ink on paper24 x 19cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)By the Water's Edgeetching with ink and watercolour
edition of 2511.7 x 14.7cm -
Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Charcoal Mother and Childcharcoal on board50 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Chloe with Dollswatercolour with pen and ink50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Colours of Autumnwatercolour and ink on paper50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Cricket with Silver Teapotwatercolour and ink on paper40 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Dancing with Sweet Peaswatercolour and ink on paper50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Down the River We Gowatercolour and ink on paper40 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Embracewatercolour and pen and ink on paper40 x 32cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Enzo and Valeria with the Doveoil on board50 x 60cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Figures with Catwatercolour and ink on paper24 x 19cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Five Tulipsoil on board40 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Forever Youngacrylic on board50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Friends Togetherwatercolour and ink on paper40 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Girl Bathingoil on board51 x 42cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Gold Tears Sylvettecharcoal, acrylic, gold ink on board76 x 51cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Harbour Storm, Greecewatercolour and ink on paper40 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Honestyacrylic and gold on board76 x 51cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)I've Looked at Life from Both Sides Nowoil on board62 x 56cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Inner Peaceoil, gold leaf and charcoal on panel62 x 43cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Japanese Tableclothoil on board55 x 46cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Laguna, New Mexicowatercolour and ink on paper40 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Listening to the Sea, Cornwallwatercolour and ink on paper40 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Little Girl by the Riveroil and mixed media on board40 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Lovers of Arlesacrylic on canvas122 x 92cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Lying in the Autumn Leavesoil on canvas with gold leaf99 x 119.5cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Memories of Japanwatercolour and ink on paper40 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Moses Under the Rhododendronswatercolour and ink on paper50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Mother, Son and Horseacrylic on gesso board42.5 x 32cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)My Village in Provencewatercolour and ink on paper50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Nude Still Lifewatercolour and ink on paper50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Nude with Chinese Lanternswatercolour and ink on paper50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Nude with Two Horsesacrylic on gesso board42.5 x 32cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)On the Pumpkinwatercolour and pen and ink on paper50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Out in the Stormoil and charcoal on board65 x 54cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Peace on Earthetching with ink and watercolour
edition of 2514.7 x 11.7cm -
Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Pomegranate and Grasses, Camaretwatercolour and ink on paper50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Poppies by the River with Sylvette. The Provence I Lovewatercolour and ink on paper40 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Praise. Canticle of the Creatureswatercolour and ink on paper45 x 36cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Red Kitchen Still Lifeoil on panel46 x 55cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Red Sun and Blue Moonwatercolour and pen and ink50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Remembering Sylvetteacrylic on board
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Rodin Museacrylic and charcoal on board79 x 62cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Roses with Doveetching with ink and watercolour14.7 x 11.7cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Sitting in Contemplationoil and charcoal on board76.5 x 50.5
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Still Life with Catwatercolour and pen and ink50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Stillnesswatercolour and ink on paper40 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Stillnessacrylic and charcoal on board77 x 54cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Sylvetteoil and gold paint on canvas36 x 52cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Sylvette and the Red Curtainoil and charcoal on gesso board61 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Sylvette April 1954oil on board73 x 54cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Sylvette in the Courtyard, Camaretwatercolour and ink on paper40 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Sylvette Prayingoil on canvas70 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Sylvette wioth Toby's Necklaceacrylic on canvas70 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Sylvette with Crossed Armsoil on board80 x 65cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Sylvette with Doveoil on canvas100 x 100cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)The Afternoon Restwatercolour and ink on paper50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)The Blind Violinistoil on board61 x 52cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)The Blue Child on a Horsewatercolour and ink on paper24 x 19cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)The Cat and the Birdetching with ink and watercolour
edition of 2514.7 x 11.7cm -
Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)The Coat of Feathersoil and charcoal on board55 x 55cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)The Green Bookwatercolour and ink on paper50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)The Last Rideoil and charcoal on board76 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)The Little Princess of Velasquezwatercolour and ink on paper50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)The Lovers with Pearswatercolour and ink on paper50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)The Sea Breezeswatercolour and ink on paper40 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)The Three Kingswatercolour and ink on paper50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)The Young Rideracrylic on gesso board42.5 x 32cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Three Friendswatercolour and ink on paper24 x 19cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Violin Nudewatercolour and ink on paper40 x 50cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Wholenesswatercolour and pen and ink50 x 40cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Windowsill Still Lifeoil on board50 x 60cm
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Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David)Young Woman with Persimmon Still Lifewatercolour and indian ink on paper45 x 35cmsigned
Lydia Corbett was born in Paris in 1934 to an influential art dealer based in the Champs Elysees, and his wife, a studio potter. At the age of nineteen Lydia had moved to Vallauris in the south of France with her mother who worked at a pottery studio in the town. It was here that she had a chance encounter with Pablo Picasso in 1954. Sylvette was chatting with friends on one of the terraces of the town’s potteries. Over the wall of the neighbouring studio, Sylvette spotted Picasso holding up one of his pictures. It was a simple image of a young woman with a fringe and a ponytail; it was a portrait of her, executed from memory. One day she knocked on the door of his studio, he was delighted to see her and welcomed her in. ‘I want to paint Sylvette!’, Picasso exclaimed. Sylvette had started to wear her hair in a very unique manner, after her father saw a ballet Greek drama and was enchanted by a woman with a ponytail worn high up on the crown of her head. He told Sylvette that she should wear her hair like this. Sylvette did this and loved it – it was an unusual look ahead of fashion that lots of people commented upon and it was this feature that caught Picasso’s eye, fascinated by Greek mythology as he was.
‘Picasso was a comic, he liked laughing and joking and behaving like a bit of a clown – a clever one.’ ‘I love to paint figures quickly. He taught me a lot without saying a word’. She would sit for him in an armchair while Picasso painted her in his simple studio, surrounded by many pots. Francoise had left Picasso by this time and he was lost without his wife and two children. He told Sylvette that he found her company as a model of great consolation to him and gave her a portrait of her. She would not accept money to pose, as she realised this would make her obliged to be nude for him. She never posed naked, although he did paint a couple of paintings of her imagined unclothed. Picasso gave Lydia a huge amount of confidence in herself as a painter, although it was not until she was in her forties that she started to paint, once her children had grown.
Corbett moved to England in 1968 where she pursued her own painting career, presenting twelve solo exhibitions in London. In 1991 she exhibited in Japan, and in the United States of America in 2004. In 2014 an exhibition of her watercolours were shown at Theater Bremen, concurrently with a major exhibition of Picasso’s work inspired by her, ‘Sylvette, Sylvette, Sylvette’ held at the Kunsthalle Bremen. These two exhibitions were the subject of a film produced by ARTE broadcast in England and Germany. Works by Lydia Corbett are in private collections worldwide and are also held in the permanent collections of the Musée National Picasso, Paris and the Vatican Collection. Exhibitions with David Simon Contemporary 2016 and 2019, 2021, 2022.
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Pablo Picasso; Lydia Corbett & Alice Corbett: My Life's Inspiration
SOHO.HOME.STUDIO, 6 Duke of York Square, London, SW3 4LY 27 Sep - 8 Oct 2023Pablo Picasso; Lydia Corbett -The Girl with the Ponytail; Alice Corbett ceramicsRead more -
Lydia Corbett & Pablo Picasso
Out of Vallauris 4 - 28 Nov 2022A rare exhibition of paintings, works on paper and ceramics by both Lydia Corbett and Pablo Picasso. Lydia Corbett, née Sylvette David, was the subject of more than sixty paintings...Read more -
Ceramic Sculptures by Alice Corbett & Lydia Corbett
7 - 30 Oct 2021Lydia Corbett (née Sylvette David) was one of Picasso’s muses in the 1950s and is a painter in her own right. Her daughter, Alice Corbett is an established contemporary ceramicist....Read more