Art, Architecture, and Design

1295. Gutzon Borglum Signed Oversized Photograph. Appeal-

ing vintage matte-finish 10.25 x 14 photo of the construction of Mount Rushmore as viewed from a winding mountain road, signed in black ink, “Sincerely, Gutzon Borglum, 1941.” Reverse bears a Bell Photo photography stamp. In very good to fine condition, with trimmed borders, and short tears along the right edge. Starting Bid $200

A certificate of trust for the Board Director of the K. Faberge Society

1296. Karl Faberge Document Signed. Russian jeweler (1846–1920)

best known for the famous Faberge eggs made of precious metals and gems. Rare DS in Cyrillic, signed “K. Faberge,” one page, 8.75 x 14, January 28, 1917. Certificate of legitimacy and recommendation from Karl Faberge, which reads: “I hereby certify that Collegiate Secretary Otto Ottovitch Bauer, Russian subject...and his father...and his grandfather...were natural-born Russian subjects. In addition...I certify that around twenty years Mr. Bauer was an employee in a company held singularly by me and that nowadays he is the Board Director of the K. Faberge Society founded by me. What is more, since the year 1914 he has been the General Manager of the Society’s Mechanical Plant which altogether operates for the defence of the Nation and manufactures different types of ammunition at the request of the Main Artillery Directorate.” Signed boldly at the conclusion by Faberge. In fine condition. Bauer was an accountant for the House of Faberge and later served as president of the company’s liquidation committee; there is some suggestion that he may have absconded with money, jewels, and the company’s records. Starting Bid $500

“Would not art be better off without the State?”

1297. Paul Klee Autograph Letter Signed. ALS in German, signed with his initials, four pages on two sheets, 5.75 x 8.5, December 9, 1933. A handwritten letter from Klee to art historian Alois Schardt, penned just days before fleeing Nazi Germany for Switzerland. Schardt had, the previous month, been dismissed from his post as curator of the new department of the Berlin National Gallery due to his inclusion of impressionist works that were not considered sufficiently Aryan. Klee opens with the remark (translated), “Now, with your departure, the best pillar shifts from its position and with it goes the last hope. One would have to ask: what will the art that is so hotly sponsored by the state look like? Would not art be better off without the state?” The artist goes on to list a good many of his paintings (including Phantastische Flora and Vorspiel zu Golgatha), wanting to know of their whereabouts. He concludes, “Please write to me pretty soon; I’m getting ready to leave.” In fine condition. Accompanied by three letters written by Klee’s wife, Lily Klee. Starting Bid $1000

1298. Paul Klee Autograph Letter Signed. Important Swiss-German artist (1879-1940) whose works incorporate a number of the most influential movements of the day, including Surrealism, Expressionism, and Cubism. ALS in German, signed “Klee,” one page both sides, 6.75 x 3.5, 1937. Untranslated handwritten letter by the noted artist. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200

1299. Gustav Klimt Signed Photograph. Austrian symbolist painter (1862–1918) who was one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement, best remembered for his ‘golden phase’ and such works as ‘The Kiss’ and ‘Adele Bloch-Bauer I.’ Rare vintage 5.5 x 3.5 postcard photo of a house and sailboat at Attersee lake in the Austrian village of Litzlberg, signed in pencil by Gustav Klimt. The postcard also appears to be signed by his niece Helene, who Glimt famously painted in 1898. In fine condition, with scattered small stains. In 1892 the artist’s brother Ernst Klimt passed away and Klimt took guardianship of his daughter Helene. Starting Bid $300

Handwritten letter from Paris by the young “V. W. van Gogh,” addressing his love of literature

1301. Vincent van Gogh Autograph Letter Signed.

Rare ALS in Dutch, signed “V. W. van Gogh,” one page both sides, 4 x 5.25, September 2, 1875. Handwritten letter to Egbert Borchers, his friend in The Hague. In part (translated): “Thank you for your letter which I received this morning & which pleased me. At Christmas I hope to come to Holland & if I can, straight to The Hague & we must make sure we don’t miss each other. I’m glad you still enjoy reading, that’s always good, at least reading such books as you read. I’m keeping it up, too; an employee in our business who is currently on vacation to Holland has just promised me to bring me a copy of ‘Motley, History of the 17 Provinces.’ As you know, I’m in Paris now, so I’ve been wandering quite a bit since we saw each other on my last day in The Hague & it’s as if that was quite a bit more than two years ago.” Addressed on the reverse in van Gogh’s hand. In fine condition, with minor clipping to two corner tips, affecting nothing. A rare and unusual variation of van Gogh’s signature, as most of his letters are signed with just his first name.

Van Gogh worked for the art dealers Goupil & Cie in The Hague from July 1869 to May 1873, when he was transferred to London after completing his apprenticeship. Goupil was one of Europe’s most renowned fine art dealers, and also a publisher of prints and engravings. At the young age of twenty, Vincent was earning a fine living with a salary higher than his father’s. During this period, he learned a great deal about the art market, the old masters, and contemporary art. When his younger brother Theo took a position with Goupil, Vincent excitedly wrote to him: ‘I am very happy that you work in the same firm. It is such a splendid house; the more one works there, the more ambition it gives you.’

At the time he wrote this letter, Vincent had been transferred to Goupil’s Paris branch. There, he became increasingly religiously fervent and grew resentful of issues such as the degree to which the firm commodified art. His increasingly poor performance resulted in his dismissal in January 1876, just four months after the present letter. Stricken by poverty in the ensuing years, van Gogh finally picked up a paintbrush in 1880, some five years after he penned this epistle.

A primary topic in this letter is van Gogh’s love of literature—an insatiable reader, he counted Dickens, Zola, Shakespeare, and Maupassant among his favorite authors. He often commented on his reading in letters to his brother Theo, providing insight into his bookish diversions. Vincent’s favorite books 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. Starting Bid $20000

1300. Pablo Picasso Signed Book. Signed

book: Picasso: Portraits & Souvenirs by Jaime Sabartes. First edition. Paris: Carre & Vox Editeurs, 1946. Softcover with dust jacket, 4.75 x 7.25, 235 pages. Signed on the half-title page in pencil by the subject, “Picasso,” and in blue ballpoint by the author, “J. Sabartés.” Autographic condition: fine, with edge toning to the signed page. Book condition: G+/VG-, with the front blank wrapper detached but present, toning to textblock, and some foxing and toning to the jacket. Housed in a handsome custom-made quarter-leather green clamshell case. Starting Bid $300

Frank Lloyd Wright on skyscrapers and the “true new building of the 20th Century”

1302. Frank Lloyd Wright Typed Letter Signed. TLS signed “FLLW,” one page, 10 x 7.75, Taliesin letterhead, July 26, 1957. Letter to Desmond Smith, hand-annotated with some punctuation and a few words struck through or underlined. In full: “Major Jenney built the first ‘tall’ building. (The Home Insurance Building Chicago) with cast iron columns super-imposed. The Rookery (across the street) was built much later with the Nineteenth Century bridge engineer’s steel post-and-girder-construction. This Nineteenth Century mode of structure still persists in the work of all the so-called skyscraper architects. At first filled-in panels of masonry for walls—now the walls are panels of glass. The essential idea of framing a box, building from outside in remains 19th Century. Twentieth Century architecture is organic from inside outward: the steel strand in tension embedded in concrete for compression. This ferro-concrete system is the true new building of the 20th Century.” Handsomely double-matted and framed with a portrait to an overall size of 22.5 x 15. In fine condition, with creasing in the top blank area. Starting Bid $200