PICASSO & HIS CIRCLE Illustrated with 'self-portraits' by Picasso & Dora Maar

PICASSO & HIS CIRCLE Illustrated with 'self-portraits' by Picasso & Dora Maar

PICASSO & HIS CIRCLE: PICASSO PABLO: (1881-1973) Spanish painter, a co-founder of the Cubist movement. An extraordinary collective illustrated A.L.S. by Picasso and his circle of friends, four pages, 8vo, Cafe de Flore, Paris, 15th January 1936, to Paul and Nusch Eluard, in a mixture of French, Spanish and Catalan. The scene for this meeting of great artistic talent is set at the head of the first page in the hand of Yvonne Zervos, 'l'heure de la soupe a l'oignon, Mercredi, 15 Janvier 1936, Cafe Flore' (Translation: 'Time for onion soup.....') beneath which Picasso writes 'Recuerdos a la blanquita, Picasso' (Translation: 'Regards to the white girl, Picasso'), and over the four pages follows a wonderful series of autograph sentiments and messages to Paul and Nush Eluard, beginning on the first page with Luis Fernandez 'Viva tu madre chiquita!! Ole, Ole, caramba!!......Baxant de la font del gat una noia, una noie, baxant de la font del gat una noia y Eluard si pregunta com se diu Marieta, Marieta, si pregunta com se diu marieta del ull vin! Com vos deia Fontanellas lo rei esta molt fotut! Lo qui gui a ens ha sigut es un manso sense equellas.....Fernandez' (written in multiple passages to the first and fourth sides of the bifolium in Catalan, roughly translated as 'Long live your little mother!! Ole, Ole, dammit!!......A girl coming down from the cat's fountain, a girl, a girl coming down from the cat's fountain and Eluard if you ask what Marieta's name is, Marieta, if you ask what Marieta's name is from the eye wine! As Fontanellas told you, the king is very fucked up! The one who guides us has been a meek man without them', and signed twice), Roberta Gonzalez 'Yo tambien, Roberta Gonzalez' (Translation: 'Me too'), Esther Fernandez her signature followed by the sentence 'Ne pas oublier la tarjeta postal con una vaca espanola' (Translation, from a mixture of French and Spanish, 'Don't forget the postcard with a Spanish cow'), Julio Gonzalez 'Ballen la Gardana, J. Gonzalez' (Translation from Catalan 'They dance the Gardana'), and also signed a second time with his name alone to the first page, Yvonne Zervos 'Los abrazo a los dos, Yvonne, Cafe Creme' (Translation: 'Hugs to you both....'), Jaime Sabartes 'mas recuerdos, J Sabartes' (Translation: 'More memories....'), Christian Zervos 'Un gros baiser a (?) malgre le rouge. Christian' (Translation: 'A big kiss to the (?) despite the red.....') and also with two further messages across other pages, 'On aimerait quand meme que vous soyiez avec.....de Flore chez Graff avec un arriere petit de gratinee Zervos, Man Ray attendez-moi!....... J'espere que vous reverrez la seine et la reste' (Translation: 'We'd still like you to be with .....de Flore at Graff with a little gratinee Zervos, Man Ray wait for me!...... I hope you'll see the Seine and the rest of it again') and '......Prononcez bien Vendredi les oveilles amies vous enconteront et moi je penserai aux bons moments passes a Vicozere, Chris. Zervos' (Translation: '.......Get the pronunciation right Friday, the friendly ears will greet you and I'll be thinking about the good times at Vicozere'), to the second page Yvonne Zerbos writes a further message, ‘Nous pensons toujours a vous vous etes, toujours avec nous. Man est tres triste!!!!! nous aussi Yvonne. Vendredi criez tres fort........Cafe Crème. Monte la dessus et tu verras Montmartre et le cafe Flore’ (Translation: ‘We are always thinking of you, you are always with us. Man is very sad!!!!! us too Yvonne. Friday shout out loud........Cafe Crème. Go up there and you'll see Montmartre and the cafe Flore’), as does Luis Fernandez once more in Catalan ‘Vina Ros! Puja aqui dalt!.....Bona nit tinguem!! estiguem bonets!!.....’ (Translation: ‘Come Ros! Get up here!.....Have a good night!! let's be nice!!.....’), alongside which Dora Maar has drawn an exquisite pen and ink image of an eye with two teardrops falling from the corner, adding the words ‘Devinez de qui?’ (Translation: ‘Guess who?), which is followed by a second greeting signed by Jaime Sabartes ‘Saluda a los del centro excursionista de Catalunya a la lliga regionalista......y todos los que encuentre por la Ramblas’ (Translation from Catalan: ‘Say hello to those at the hiking centre from Catalonia to the regionalist league…..and everyone you find on the Ramblas’), the third page features entries by Leonor Fini ‘Vous aimez toujours et les gros porcs tendres……..? Vous en avez vu des noirs en Espagne? Leonor’ (Translation: ‘Do you still like big, tender pigs……..? Have you seen any black ones in Spain?’) and also signed by Fini with her first name only to the right margin of the first page, Man Ray ‘C'etait triste de rentrer tout seul lundi soir de V- Beziers! Je vous embrasse tous les deux, et j'espere vous trouverez des bons amis et amies! Affectueusement, Man’ (Translation: ‘It was sad to come back alone on Monday evening from V- Beziers! Love to you both, and I hope you find some good friends! Affectionately….’), and at the foot of the page Pablo Picasso has drawn and signed a pen and ink image of a winged love heart, also incorporating the horns of a bull, and with a Cupid’s arrow piercing through the centre from right to left, signing his name (‘Picasso’) in bold black ink beneath. A series of ink hatched lines also appear beneath the drawing, partially obscuring the signature of Dora Maar. The page concludes with a series of ten question marks in the hand of Roberta Gonzalez, and with her signature beneath. The letter ends with a final message signed by Yvonne Zervos at the foot of the fourth page, ‘Cora et Elfe vous embrasse chaque jour je forme au voeux pour que vous soyiez tous les deux tres heureux la-pas!!! Yvonne. Pikina aux vins de France fabrique par Picon et cie’ (Translation: ‘Cora and Elfe kiss you every day and I hope you're both very happy! Yvonne. Pikina with French wines made by Picon and company’). Accompanied by the original envelope hand addressed by Christian Zervos to the Eluards in care of the home of Josep Maria Sert in Barcelona, and further annotated and signed by Man Ray with his initials to the verso, ‘avec la salive de C.Z. (M.R.)’ (Translation: ‘With the saliva of C.Z…..’). A truly exceptional and magnificent autograph letter, beautifully enhanced by the drawings (which could indeed be interpreted as ‘self-portraits’) in the hands of Pablo Picasso and his lover, Dora Maar. Some very light, extremely minor age toning, VG

Paul Eluard (1895-1952) French poet, one of the founders of the founders of the Surrealist movement and a close friend of Picasso.

Nusch Eluard (1906-1946) French performer, model and surrealist artist, the wife of Paul Eluard from 1934. Nusch Eluard, with whom Picasso conducted a torrid affair, was the subject of some of the Spanish artist’s cubist portraits in the late 1930s. She was also photographed by Man Ray, notably for the illustrations to Paul Eluard’s collection of poetry, Facile, published in 1935.

Josep Maria Sert (1874-1945) Spanish muralist, a friend of Salvador Dali.

Yvonne Zervos (1905-1970) French editor gallery owner and exhibition curator, wife of Christian Zervos, and an expert on the works of Picasso.

Luis Fernandez (1900-1973) Spanish painter and friend of Picasso. Fernandez was one of the few artists with whom Picasso collaborated, and who had a great influence on his work.

Esther Fernandez (d.1954) the first wife of Luis Fernandez.

Roberta Gonzalez (1908-1976) French painter, the daughter of Julio Gonzalez. Roberta married the German-French painter Hans Hartung in 1939.

Julio Gonzalez (1876-1942) Spanish sculptor and painter, an early and close friend of Picasso.

Jaime Sabartes (1881-1968) Spanish artist, poet and writer, a close friend of Pablo Picasso who would later become his secretary and administrator.

Christian Zervos (1889-1970) Greek-French art historian, critic, collector, writer & publisher who founded the magazine Cahiers d'Art and also published a catalogue raisonne on the work of Picasso.

Dora Maar (1907-1997) French photographer, painter and poet, a romantic partner of Pablo Picasso (from 1935-43) and the subject of several of his portraits.

Leonor Fini (1907-1996) Argentine-born Italian surrealist painter, designer and illustrator.

Man Ray (1890-1976) American visual artist, a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements and a renowned pioneering fashion and portrait photographer.

The present letter conjures up an extraordinary sense of the social gathering which took place at the Café de Flore, the text and signatures incorporating codes, little secrets and nicknames between the contributors and the recipients; ‘onion soup’ being the nickname that Picasso bestowed upon Nusch Eluard, and ‘café crème’ apparently being claimed by Yvonne Zervos. It is also no mistake that Dora Maar draws an image of a tearful eye, having become known as Picasso’s ‘weeping woman’ (most famously depicted in the series of four oil paintings titled The Weeping Woman created between September and October 1937). The ‘self-portrait’ drawings by Maar and Picasso, which face each other on the central pages, provide interesting imagery as a reflection of their relationship, Maar the tortured mistress, and Picasso, with his Spanish bull-themed heart, pierced by love.

The Café de Flore, which still exists today, is situated in the Saint-Germain-des-Pres arrondissement area of Paris, and is one of the city’s oldest coffee houses. The establishment is celebrated for its famous clientele which have included writers, philosophers and artists – not least Picasso and his circle.