Autograph Letters to Tony Curtis - "I am working now on paintings in an entirely new style and which are probably bizarre and disconcerting."

An interesting pair of letters from the influential French artist whose idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so called "Art Brut" ("Raw Art" or "Low Art") and eschewed traditional standards of beauty in favor of what he believed to be a more authentic and humanistic approach to image-making. Both letters addressed to the actor Tony Curtis who, throughout his life, enjoyed painting, and from the early 1980s, painted as a second career. He passionately collected artwork and corresponded with many important artists of the 20th Century, including Dubuffet. The group includes a retained and unsigned typed letter from Curtis to Dubuffet regarding a painting that Curtis had purchased, dated 1963, and two handwritten and signed letters from Dubuffet to Curtis, dated 1963 and 1964.



1 p. TL. July 29, 1963. Dear Mons. Dubuffet: I just purchased a painting of yours called 'Femme au Sein Nue' [sic] and I had to write you a letter and express my great pride in having a canvas of yours. It's a terrific painting and in a small way, I wanted to express my thanks."



1 p. ALS. 20 August, 1963. Together with the original transmissal envelope, signed on the verso. Translated from the French: "Dear Mr. Curtis, I very much enjoyed your letter. I didn't really make a painting ("Je n'ai pas tout a fait present a l'esprit") titled 'Femme au sein nu' but I think you are speaking about a small painting that was owned by Prince Igor Troubetzkoy and that was from about a dozen years ago. I'll check on the photographs when I get back to Paris. For the moment, I am for a few weeks in the North of France, near the ocean. I have there a studio where I work assiduously on the large paintings in a new genre which are really interesting me. I am happy that my painting gives you pleasure - Thank you for your so very nice letter. In friendship, Jean Dubuffet."



1 p. ALS. 26 January, 1964. Together with the original transmissal envelope, signed on the verso. Translated from the French: "Dear Mr. Curtis, Also to you a Happy New Year. For you as for me, I suppose, it is Christmas every day, and it is, every day of the year, New Year's day. It's how it must be. I am very grateful to you for all the kind esteem you show for me and my paintings. I am working now on paintings in an entirely new style and which are probably bizarre and disconcerting. All my friendly wishes, Jean Dubuffet." (6943)

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