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Rare ALS in French, signed “Picasso,” one page, 5.25 x 7, May 19, 1916. Addressed from “5 bis rue Victor Schoelcher” in Paris, a handwritten letter from Pablo Picasso to his friend André Level, in full (translated): “Rue la Boétie at the Haussmann gallery at 29 exhibition—sale of paintings, drawings, sculptures, &. for the benefit of the works La Table familiale and la Cantine D of the Entraide Artistique Française (there is a drawing by me). I hope you got home safely last night.” In fine condition.
This letter was written on the day after the tumultuous and chaotic premiere of the ballet Parade, to which the painter alludes in the last sentence of his letter. A collaboration of artistic minds, Parade is a ballet choreographed by Leonide Massine, with music by Erik Satie and a one-act scenario by Jean Cocteau. Composed in 1916–17 for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, the ballet premiered on Friday, May 18, 1917, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and featured costumes and sets designed by Picasso. Although initial reactions to Parade were mixed, the performance has since been lauded as a surreal masterpiece.
André Level, a businessman, patron, and collector, frequented modern art galleries after meeting the Bernheim brothers in 1895. In 1904, he founded the association La peau de l'Ours, which played a role in launching Picasso and modern art. The public auction he organized in 1914 was one of Picasso's early successes. The Table familiale and Entraide artistique française were charitable associations that provided meals to artists in need.
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