Bidspirit auction | [VARIOUS AUTOGRAPHS, LETTERS, & DOCUMENTS]

[VARIOUS AUTOGRAPHS, LETTERS, & DOCUMENTS] - EDOUARD MANET (1832–1883) - Important Autograph Letter Signed - ÉDOUARD MANET (1832–1883) “VOUS ÊTES ALLÉ À MON ATELIER DERNIÈREMENT AVEC GAUGUIN” Important Autograph Letter Signed, apparently documenting a visit by Paul Gauguin to Manet’s studio, Bellevue, 13 July [c. 1880–1882] Autograph letter signed “Manet”, in French, Bellevue, 13 July [c. 1880–1882], to an unidentified artist friend. Two pages, small format, written in pencil on a folded sheet and signed “Manet” at the conclusion. An important document containing an apparent reference by Édouard Manet to Paul Gauguin having recently visited his studio. Such rare contemporary evidence connects two major figures in the development of modern French painting. Writing from Bellevue, Manet refers explicitly to a recent visit by his correspondent: “vous êtes allé à mon atelier dernièrement avec Gauguin” (“you went to my studio recently with Gauguin”). The casual remark is of considerable art-historical interest. Gauguin, still at the beginning of his career as a painter, had entered the Impressionist circle and exhibited with the group for the first time in 1880. Although he greatly admired the work of Manet and his contemporaries, direct documentary evidence for personal contact between Manet and Gauguin is scarce, to say the least. The significance of the passage lies partly in its informality. Manet does not describe the visit as an event of particular consequence, but refers to Gauguin’s presence in his studio simply as something already known to his correspondent. The letter thus provides incidental insight into Gauguin moves within Manet’s immediate artistic circle during the early years of his development as a painter. At this date Gauguin was undergoing his gradual transformation from stockbroker and collector into professional artist. He collected works by leading contemporary painters and, from 1880 onwards, participated in the Impressionist exhibitions. His presence in Manet’s studio offers a particularly evocative glimpse of the networks of artists, collectors, studios and personal visits through which the Parisian avant-garde developed. The remainder of the letter concerns practical and financial matters. Manet mentions paintings and a “petite somme” which he considers should now be repaid to him, while at the same time assuring his correspondent of his friendship. He closes warmly: “Décompte sur vous et sur Gauguin. Amitiés, Manet.” The precise identity of the recipient remains to be established, as does the year of the letter. The heading reads “Bellevue, 13 Juillet”. Manet spent periods at Bellevue during the final years of his life while receiving treatment for the illness that increasingly restricted his movements, providing a likely context for the correspondence. An important primary document for the artistic relationship between Manet and Gauguin, recording in Manet’s own hand the presence of the younger artist in his studio during the formative years of Gauguin’s career. Condition: Written in pencil, somewhat pale but substantially legible throughout. Original folds, with light toning and minor handling wear consistent with age. A small old numerical annotation in pencil at the upper left. Overall very good. One item: autograph letter signed, two pages, Bellevue, 13 July [c. 1880–1882].