12 minute read
Art, Architecture, and Design
“Picasso y yo—Dali”— a proclamation on the masters of 20th-century art
473. Salvador Dali Autograph Quotation Signed. Remarkable AQS artistically penned in ink by Salvador Dali on an off-white 11.5 x 8.25 sheet, in full: “Picasso y yo—Dali.” A remarkable piece of artistic calligraphy, more like an artwork than a mere autograph, in which Dali proclaims his opinion on who will last as the two enduring masters of 20th-century art. In fine condition. A stunning and impressive piece linking two great modern artists. Starting Bid $1000
474. Marc Chagall Signed Program. Program for performances by Shura Cherkassky and Mischel Cherniavsky on December 27, 1954, two pages, 6.25 x 9.5, signed on the front cover in fountain pen, “March Chagall, Vence, 1954.” The front cover bears a printed image of one of Chagall’s artworks, with his facsimile signature at lower right. In fine condition, with a skip to the “g” in the signature. Starting Bid $200
475. Jacques-Louis David Autograph Letter Signed. French painter (1748–
1825) and master of the Neoclassical style whose most famous works include ‘The Death of Marat’ and several portraits of Napoleon Bonaparte. ALS in French, signed “David,” one page, 4.5 x 6.75, no date. Handwritten letter by Jacques-Louis David to his to his employee Dubois. The greatest and most powerful of Napoleon’s artists gives instructions to his assistant on the manner by which he desires the interior of his house to be repainted. In part (translated): “I would like my dear Dubois to have the staircase and different rooms repainted in my house in the Rue du Cocq, but I think that some small freezings could still occur and that could cause some bad work because the glue would be eaten and then the colors would detach themselves from the wall.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
476. Edvard Grieg Autograph Letter Signed.
ALS in German, one page, 5.25 x 3, April 18, 1881. Addressed from Bergen, Norway, a handwritten letter to concert organizer Carl Liebers, who uses the well-known Musikkhandel Huss & Beer in Stockholm, Sweden, as his postal address. Grieg has addressed the reverse in his own hand. In very good to fine condition, with light staining along the right edge. Grieg was only 28 years old at the time he wrote this letter, but, in spite of his youth and as he indicates, he was already a sought-after composer and orchestra leader who traveled all over Europe. Starting Bid $200
Picasso and his Surrealist companions send a postcard to Man Ray
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477. Pablo Picasso and Paul Eluard Signed Postcard
to Man Ray. Rare 5.5 x 3.5 postcard of the famed Le Palais Idéal in Hauterives, built by French postman Ferdinand Cheval over the course of thirty-plus years, signed on the reverse in ink by the great Cubist painter Pablo Picasso, Surrealist poet Paul Éluard, model and Surrealist artist Nusch Éluard, their daughter Cécile Eluard, and photographer Dora Maar. Addressed to the important Dada/Surrealist photographer Man Ray at his studio, “40 rue Denfert Rochereau, Paris.” Annotated along the bottom edge, “Vaste Horizons, Mougins (Alpes Mmes),” and postmarked at Mougins, Alpes-Maritimes on May 18, 1937. In fine condition.
An absolutely outstanding postcard rife with artistic associations, which were recently explored in the Museu Picasso de Barcelona’s exhibition ‘Pablo Picasso, Paul Eluard: A Sublime Friendship.’ Picasso had been introduced to Dora Maar through Paul Éluard in 1936, and they soon became lovers and companions. All of these figures were politically and artistically aligned, and were often the subjects of one another’s works. According to the museum: ‘Nusch became a topic of aesthetic research and the protagonist of many portraits by Picasso, above all between 1936 and 1941. In those years, the friendship and reciprocal admiration and emulation between Picasso and Eluard led them to share their holidays together for three summers in a row in the hotel Vaste Horizon de Mougins, along with other friends. There, Picasso produced various portraits of Nusch, of Maar and of Eluard’s daughter, Cécile, as well as a cryptic portrait of Paul Eluard dressed up as Arlésienne, known as Arlesiana amamantando un gato.’
In addition to her role as the subject of several paintings by Picasso, Dora Maar also photographed the successive stages of the creation of Picasso’s powerful anti-war painting, ‘Guernica.’ A remarkable combination of autographs sent to Man Ray. Starting Bid $500
478. Pablo Picasso Signature. Fantastic
red pencil signature, “Picasso,” underlined in blue, on the reverse of an off-white 5.5 x 3.25 promo card for “Galerie Madoura” in Cannes, purveyor of “céramiques originales et éditées de Picasso.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
Rare Redoute-signed subscriber receipt for “Les Roses”
479. Pierre-Joseph Redoute Document Signed. Painter
and botanist from the Southern Netherlands (1759-1840), known for his watercolors of roses, lilies, and other flowers at Malmaison. Partly-printed DS, in French, signed “Redoute,” one page, 7.5 x 9.75, April 28, 1820. A receipt for a subscriber payment for his famous book, Les Roses, in part, “I, the undersigned, acknowledge receipt from Mr. Pivote, subscriber to the book Roses, the sum of 30F against the price of the 16th delivery.” Signed neatly at the conclusion, “Redoute.” In very good to fine condition, with scattered light foxing, and a small tape stain to the bottom edge. Accompanied by a letter from the Queen’s secretary dated November 27, 1832, indicating to Redoute that he will be paid promptly by the Count de Montalivet. Starting Bid $200
Rousseau celebrates the 25th anniversary of his Groupe des Indépendants exhibition
480. Henri Rousseau Autograph Letter Signed. Important French post-impressionist painter in the Naïve or Primitive manner (1844–1910) known for his lush jungle paintings and stylized portraits. Recognized as a self-taught genius, his work exerted an extensive influence on several generations of avant-garde artists. Extremely rare ALS in French, signed “H. Rousseau,” one page, 5.25 x 8.25, June 2, 1910. Writing from Paris ninety days before his death, Rousseau invites his correspondent to a party celebrating his work. In part: “Tomorrow night, I’ll give a small party for my anniversary and for the quarter century that I have shown my work with the Indépendants. I hope that your health as well as that of your better half is good, and that both of you will be willing to honor this family party with your presence.” In fine condition, with scattered small stains. His artwork rejected by the official Salon, Rousseau had exhibited for the first time with the Groupe des Indépendants in 1885, showing his canvases ‘Italian Dance’ and ‘Sunset.’ Starting Bid $300
Rare and lengthy letter from Tchelitchew to his biographer, “to judge an living artist work not as important because most of judgements are based on opinions and opinions often are erroneous”
“Bravo for Yvette”—Toulouse-Lautrec makes reference to his muse
481. Pavel Tchelitchew Autograph
Letter Signed. Russian-born painter, set designer, and costume designer (18981957), who immigrated to Paris in 1923 and became closely associated with the Neo-romanticism movement. Substantial and scarce ALS, signed “Pavel,” four total pages, 8.5 x 11, November 6, 1947. Lengthy handwritten letter to his biographer James Thrall Soby, in part (spelling and grammar retained): “Now to judge an living artist work not as important because most of judgements are based on opinions and opinions often are erroneous.” In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope addressed by Tchelitchew, who incorporated his signature in the return address on the reverse flap. Starting Bid $200
in French, signed “H. de Toulouse Lautrec,” two pages on two adjoining sheets, 4.5 x 7, no date but circa 1894-1896. Letter to “My dear Marty.” In full (translated): “The menus are quite well done and have a great success. Bravo for our Yvette. Send me the articles at the chateau of Malrome by Saint-Macaire, Gironde because I am leaving at any moment for Burgos and Madrid.” Also includes an ALS by Yvette Guilbert. In fine condition. Starting Bid $500
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Van Gogh quotes from Longfellow: “Shadows are trailing / My heart is bewailing / And toiling within / Like a funeral bell”
483. Vincent van Gogh Handwritten Manuscript.
Extraordinary unsigned handwritten manuscript by Vincent Van Gogh, one page both sides, 2.75 x 3.75, no date but circa late 1876. Van Gogh, an avid reader, transcribes two poems: one, “Afternoon in February” by Henry W. Longfellow, contains six stanzas of four lines each; on the reverse, he pens a fragment of unidentified religious verse in Dutch, totaling 29 lines. The Longfellow verse, in part:
“The day is ending The night is descending The marsh is frozen The river dead
Through clouds like ashes The red sun flashes On village windows That glimmer red…
Shadows are trailing My heart is bewailing And toiling within Like a funeral bell.”
On the reverse is a religious verse in Dutch, in small part: “As a shield and buckler Your truth is offered to me…Because His soul loves me dearly That is why God allowed Himself to come here.” In fine to very fine condition, with closely cropped edges.
An insatiable reader throughout his life, Vincent van Gogh was literate in Dutch, English, German, and French. He counted Dickens, Zola, Shakespeare, and Maupassant among his favorite authors, and also held special esteem for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow—in letters to his brother Theo, Vincent refers to several of the American poet’s works, mentioning Tales of a Wayside Inn and quoting from poems including ‘The Saga of King Olaf’ and ‘The Light of Stars.’ The quotation here boasts highly visual appeal, evoking the glimmering red sun and trailing shadows at dusk—elements one might expect to see in one of van Gogh’s paintings. Vincent’s favorite literature guided his thoughts, defined his worldview, and influenced his art. A recent study of his reading, Vincent’s Books: Van Gogh and the Writers Who Inspired Him by Mariella Guzzoni, was published in 2020.
The religious text here offers insight into van Gogh’s spiritual preoccupations during a period in which he became increasingly fervent, immersing himself in religion while becoming pious and monastic. In 1877, shortly after writing these texts, he went to live with his uncle, the theologian Johannes Stricker, to prepare for the University of Amsterdam’s theology entrance examination. He failed that exam and proceeded to fail a threemonth course at a Protestant missionary school. He was able to find work as a missionary in Belgium in 1879, but was soon dismissed for ‘undermining the dignity of the priesthood.’ He finally would turn to art in the early 1880s, introduced to oil paints by his cousin Anton Mauve.
In April 2020, Martin Bailey of The Art Newspaper traced the lineage of this van Gogh fragment—and several others—back to an album that had been owned by Annie Slade-Jones, van Gogh’s landlady in Isleworth, where he lived while working as a teacher from October to December 1876. Van Gogh filled six of the album’s pages with writings drawn from published sources, including poetry, passages from the Bible, hymns, and literary writings. They were subsequently sliced up—probably sometime in the 1980s—and dispersed to collectors and collections around the globe. About half of the texts are today held by the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, and the whereabouts of several others are unknown. A remarkable and fabulous handwritten piece by the legendary painter. Starting Bid $5000
484. Andy Warhol Signed Postcard of ‘Elvis I’ . Very desirable color
semi-glossy 4 x 5.75 postcard of Andy Warhol’s 1964 work ‘Elvis I,’ which shows side-by-side images of Presley dressed as a cowboy gun-in-hand for a publicity shot from the 1960 film Flaming Star, signed nicely in the lower border in black felt tip by Warhol. In very fine condition. Accompanied by a letter of provenance from the original recipient, who obtained the autograph in person at a New York book signing. Starting Bid $200
485. Andy Warhol Signed Book with Sketch. Signed book: The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B & Back Again). First edition. NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1975. Hardcover with dust jacket, 5.75 x 8.5, 241 pages. Signed and inscribed on the half-title page in black felt tip, “To Simone, Andy Warhol,” who adds a sketch of his classic “Campbell’s Soup” can. In fine condition, with an old price sticker to the front of the dust jacket. Starting Bid $200
486. Andy Warhol Signed Promo Card.
Appealing color 5.5 x 7 promo card featuring Andy Warhol’s 1980 work ‘The Marx Brothers,’ featuring Groucho, Chico, and Harpo triplicated in his inimitable Pop Art style, nicely signed in the lower left corner in black felt tip by Warhol. In very fine condition. Starting Bid $200 488. Frank Lloyd Wright Signed Book. Signed book: Genius and the
Mobocracy. First edition. NY: Duell, Sloan and Pearce,, 1949. Hardcover, 8.25 x 10.25, 113 pages. Signed nicely on the first free end page in black ink, “Frank Lloyd Wright, June 8–/49.” In very good to fine condition, with soiling and staining to the spine and covers. Starting Bid $200
487. Andy Warhol and Jamie Wyeth Signed Program. Scarce original tri-fold program for the exhibit ‘Andy Warhol & Jamie Wyeth: Portraits of Each Other,’ which was held at the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, between November 26, 1976, and January 9, 1977, measuring 23.75 x 10 open, signed above their respective works of art in black felt tip by Warhol and Wyeth. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
