Lucien Freud (1922 - 2011) - Postcards to Felicity Hellaby

£10.00

Postcards to Felicity Hellaby by Lucien Freud (1922 - 2011).

c. 1941- 1943

Ink and collage on printed postcards.

A collection of seven postcards written to Lucien’s first girlfriend, Felicity Hellaby. Always addressed to his ‘Darling Felicity’, the postcards reveal a young Freud who was playful, mischievous and intensely engaged with the world around him. He describes travels in Greece with fellow artist John Craxton, encounters with gangsters and visits to the Ritz, while also discussing the paintings occupying his thoughts as well as an early large self-portrait, a cactus painting and a drawing of a shark.

Felicity was both Freud’s first girlfriend and one of his earliest sitters. They met as young art students at the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing, where they drew and painted one another. Freud’s postcards to her are remarkably informal and affectionate, moving between everyday gossip, travel, humour and the paintings he was working on. His small drawings on the cards make no distinction between art and ordinary life, allowing his creativity to spill naturally into their correspondence. Preserved by Hellaby for more than seventy years, these intimate messages offer an unusually candid glimpse of the young Freud. Playful, affectionate and already wholly absorbed in his art.

Johnny Crax[ton] is here but has disappeared. I hope the bandits have not got him...

Provenance

Felicity Hellaby, and thence by descent.

Christies London, January 2020. Lot 101.

Private Collection, London. Acquired from the above.

Raoul Dufy (1877–1953) - The Mexican Musicians

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Raoul Dufy (1877–1953) - The Mexican Musicians

£6,500.00

The Mexican Musicians by Raoul Dufy (1877–1953).

c. 1945

Pencil on paper, from the guestbook of La Méditerranée restaurant.

Opened in 1942, La Méditerranée quickly became an established meeting place within Parisian artistic and literary life. Situated opposite the Théâtre de l’Odéon, the restaurant attracted figures from the worlds of art, literature and theatre. The restaurants proprietor, Jean Subrenat, would hand out a guestbook for artists to leave notes and drawings in thanks for their meals. On this evening, Dufy leaves a beautiful drawing of Mexican musicians in celebration for the first anniversary of the Liberation of Paris.

‘Ces musiciens mexicains jouent La Marseillaise pour le 1er anniversaire de la libération de Paris’

Provenance

Jean Subrenat, owner of the La Méditerranée, Paris.

Then by descent to the current owner.

Christies Paris, Art Moderne October 2025, Lot 160.

Private Collection, London. Acquired from the above.

Francis Picabia (1904 - 1989) - New Years Letter

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Francis Picabia (1904 - 1989) - New Years Letter

£0.00

New Years Letter by Francis Picabia (1904 - 1989).

c. 1948

Ink on paper.

One of the great artists of the European avant-garde, Picabia was central to Dada and an important precursor to Surrealism. Throughout his career, he embraced chance, humour and unexpected associations, moving freely between abstraction, figuration and dreamlike imagery. Here, that restless imagination finds its most personal expression.

Made not for exhibition or sale, but as a private gesture of affection. The letter brings together drawing and correspondence in a single, fleeting moment. Its survival offers an intimate glimpse of Picabia beyond the public avant-garde. Playful, spontaneous and deeply human it is sent with a drawing of doves beneath the stars, sun and moon.

“Francis qui t’embrasse”

“Francis, who embraces you.”

Provenance

The collection of French painter and novelist, Michel Georges-Michel (1883 - 1985).

A certificate from the Comité Picabia is accompanied with this work.

Kiki de Montparnasse (1901–1953) Love Note

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Kiki de Montparnasse (1901–1953) Love Note

£6,500.00

Love Note by Kiki de Montparnasse (1901–1953).

c. 1929

Pencil on the back of a bistro menu from November 9th November, 1929.

‘Do the girls from Camaret all claim to be virgins…?’

Kiki de Montparnasse, born Alice Prin, was one of the most recognisable figures of the Parisian avant-garde during the 1920s. Model, painter, singer, actress, writer and performer, she occupied a position at the heart of the artistic and social life of Montparnasse. Her image was repeatedly captured by some of the most important artists and photographers of the period,

yet Kiki was far more than a passive model or muse. She was an active participant in the creative culture that surrounded her and, for a brief but extraordinary period, became one of its most celebrated personalities.

Her striking appearance, independence and flamboyant personality quickly made her a familiar presence in the cafés, studios, cabarets and artists' gatherings that defined interwar Montparnasse. Among the artists who painted or photographed her were Man Ray, Amedeo Modigliani, Chaïm Soutine, Tsuguharu Foujita, Moïse Kisling and Alexander Calder.

Here, on a Saturday night in November 1929 at La Coupole, Kiki leaves her mark on the evening itself. Her iconic profile is sketched upon the back of the menu, a few words are hurriedly inscribed, the paper then folded and passed from her hand to another.

Provenance

Collection of Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873–1954).

Henri Matisse (1869–1954) Letter with Envelope

£15,000.00

Letter to Edmée Cazalis-Roederer by Henri Matisse (1869–1954).

c. 1948

Ink and blue crayon on wove paper with original envelope.

A handwritten letter by Henri Matisse to Edmée Cazalis-Roederer, daughter of the physician and poet Henri Cazalis. In the letter, Matisse expresses his thanks to Edmée and his adoration for his ‘angel secretary’, Lydia Delectorskaya.

“It’s so lovely in Paris, a little nostalgia in autumn – the gentle rain!”

Offering a rare and intimate glimpse into the beauty of Matisse’s personal correspondence, the letter is preserved with its original envelope bearing the artists 132 Boulevard du Montparnasse, Paris return address to verso.

Provenance

The estate of Edmée Cazalis and Comtesse Roederer (1887–1981).
Private Collection, New York.
Swann Auction Galleries, New York, September 2000, Lot 105.
Phillips, New York, April 2013, Lot 160.
Private Collection, New York.
Private Collection, Hamburg.

The authenticity of the letter was confirmed in 2021 by Wanda de Guébriant, the authority on the work of Henri Matisse.

David Hockney (1937 - 2026) Still Life

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Still Life by David Hockney (1937 - 2026).

c. 1973

Pen and felt tip on paper.

This still life was drawn in the guestbook of La Cafetière, the rue Mazarine café-restaurant that was a gathering place for artists, writers, actors and other figures of Parisian cultural life. The proprietor, Jean Romestant, would hand out a guestbook for artists to leave notes and drawings in thanks for their visit. Most left a name, a few words, perhaps a small doodle. Yet, here, Hockney goes one step further. On a page intended to record a passing visit, he takes the time to complete a still life; capturing the ashtray, drinking glasses and atmosphere of the table in a language so identifiably his.

Provenance

Guest book no.1 of La Cafetière, rue Mazarine, Paris.

The estate of Jean Romestant and Leonel Costa Jorge.

Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) Dove of Peace

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Dove of Peace by Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)
c. 1950

Cut Gitanes cigarette packet and crayon.

A remarkable and rare cut-out dove, fashioned from the back of a Gitanes cigarette packet and gifted by Pablo Picasso to the French politician and Resistance fighter Laurent Casanova.

Picasso’s dove emerged as one of the most enduring images of peace in modern art. In 1949, as Europe continued to bear the scars of war and the shadow of the Cold War lengthened across the continent, Picasso was invited to create an image for the First International Peace Congress in Paris. He chose the dove: rendered with restraint, tenderness and simplicity, it soon transcended the boundaries of the art world. Reproduced across borders and languages, the image became a universal symbol and a shared visual expression of the hope for peace.

During the post-war period, Picasso developed a friendship with Laurent Casanova, a prominent French politician and Resistance figure, following Picasso’s decision to join the French Communist Party in 1944. While having lunch together in Cannes, Picasso spontaneously cut this dove from a Gitanes cigarette packet and presented it to Casanova.

The work offers a rare insight into Picasso’s lesser-known practice of cut-outs and scissor work. Often spontaneous and whimsical, these small works were frequently made as personal gifts for family and friends.

Provenance

Personal gift from Pablo Picasso to Laurent Casanova.
Collection of Claudine Chomat, wife of Laurent Casanova.
Thence by descent to their daughter, Marie-Claude Michaut.

Authenticated by the Pablo Picasso Committee on 12 November 2025 and catalogued under reference 0303.

Salvador Dalí (1904 - 1989) Postcard

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Salvador Dalí (1904 - 1989) postcard to Pablo Picasso.

c. 1958

Pen on original silver gelatin photo postcard.

“Ole!! Punt de Trobada Port Lligat. Pel juliol. Ni Dona ni Cargol. Un petó. Gala. Dalí.”
“Hello! Meeting point, Port Lligat. In July, neither woman nor snail. A kiss. Gala. Dalí.”

After first meeting in Paris in 1926, Dalí’s relationship with Picasso was shaped by profound admiration, fascination and a desire for friendship. Dalí regarded Picasso as both an artistic inspiration and a formidable rival, later referring to him as ‘his best enemy’. Through recalling shared stories and memories this postcard is an especially intimate example of Dalí’s attempts to evoke a shared Catalan memory in the hope of awakening Picasso.

The phrase “Pel juliol. Ni Dona ni Cargol - In July, neither woman nor snail’, recalls an anecdote associated with Picasso’s stay in Cadaqués in 1910, whereby the artist Ramon Pichot’s sister was being pursued by a lover attempting to kiss her. She rejected him, retreating to a balcony and shouting out “Pel juliol. Ni Dona ni Cargol” – “In July, neither woman nor snail.” The phrase remained a private joke in Dalí’s correspondence with Picasso, appearing repeatedly in his letters and postcards.

Here, Dali’s words are accompanied by a surrealist drawing of two snails kissing, a shooting star, birds and a guitar - transforming the postcard into a miniature work of art. On the reverse of the postcard, a silver gelatin photograph of Dali’s house and the bay of Port Lligat. A visual queue for Picasso to come and see him.

Despite Picasso’s silence, Dalí continued to write to the artist several times a year. He wrote over one hundred letters & postcards to Picasso between 1927-1970. He never received a response.

Provenance

An important private collection of Salvador Dalí works, Spain.

Autographs Des Siecles Gallery, Lyon.

Private Collection, London. Acquired from the above.

Pierre Bonnard (1869–1954) Village sketch

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Pierre Bonnard (1869–1954) Village sketch

£0.00

Village sketch by Pierre Bonnard (1869–1954).

c. 1915

Pencil on paper, drawn on the reverse of the artists hotel lunch receipt.

The great impressionist, Pierre Bonnard drew everywhere and at any time. When the eye sees something beautiful, his hand had to draw it. He often felt ‘weak in front of nature’, compelled to capture fleeting moments of beauty almost at the very instant he experienced them.

This small and humble sketch epitomises the feeling of urgency he often felt. Executed with a blunted pencil on the reverse of his hotel lunch receipt, it was most likely drawn on the only paper he had to hand at that moment.

cm x cm

cm x cm (including frame)

Provenance

Wolseley Fine Arts, London

Private Collection, London.

Anonymous Photograph

£4,500.00

Anonymous Photograph of Surrealists at Lunch.

c. 1953

Gelatin silver print on cream photographic paper, with handwritten identification to the reverse by Lee Miller.

An original and previously undocumented amateur snapshot of some of the most important artist of the early 20th Century enjoying lunch at restaurant Nounou in the Côte d'Azur, most likely in the August of 1953.

Featuring Lee Miller, Roland Penrose, Pablo Picasso, Paul Picasso, Françoise Gilot and Édouard Pignon.

Provenance

Private Collection, France.

sold

Jean Cocteau (1877–1953) Letter

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Letter with drawing by Jean Cocteau (1877–1953).

c. 1939

Pen on Château de Tilloloy letterheaded paper with original drawing.

A poetic and tender letter by Cocteau written in the winter of 1939 as war broke out around Europe and the German invasion of France was looming. A figure under the starry skies of moonlit Paris adorns the correspondence.

“Tonight Christmas will come down to warm us a little. For I, like the salamander, set my feet upon the fire”

Provenance

Christie's, Geneva. 14th May, 2001. Lot 34.

The collection of Melissa Ulfane, acquired from the above.

Private Collection, London.

Patrick Martin has authenticated this work on behalf of the Jean Cocteau Committee.

Pablo, Paloma and Claude Picasso Dove of Peace

£0.00

Dove of Peace by Pablo Picasso (1881–1973), Paloma Picasso (b.1949) and Claude Picasso (1947 – 2023).

c. 1953

Cut out Citantes cigarette packet and coloured pencil.

A rare and remarkable work by Pablo Picasso and his children, exhibited for the first time.

Made from the humble reverse of a cigarette packet, the work transforms an everyday fragment into an image of remarkable economy and resonance. By this time, Picasso’s dove had come to carry a meaning far beyond that of a simple bird. In the aftermath of the Second World War, the motif became closely associated with his public commitment to a more peaceful future. His celebrated Dove of Peace, created for the First International Peace Congress in Paris in 1949, transformed the familiar image into an international symbol of hope in the aftermath of conflict.

The history of this particular dove gives that symbolism an especially intimate resonance. It was gifted by Picasso and his children to Marie-Claude Michaut, the daughter of Claudine Chomat and Laurent Casanova, a prominent figure of the French Communist Resistance and post-war left.

This politically charged image was also made through one of Picasso’s most personal and instinctive artistic languages, cutting paper. Picasso’s paper works occupy a particularly intimate place within his practice. Rarely made for exhibition or sale, they were often created spontaneously for family and friends. With little more than a pair of scissors and whatever paper lay to hand, Picasso could transform the most ordinary material into something unexpectedly alive. His fascination with cut paper reaches back to his childhood in Málaga. Under the influence of his father, he discovered the possibilities of cutting out silhouettes and moving them across a surface to explore composition.

Decades later, the same impulse remains alive. Here, Picasso returns to the simplest vocabulary of his childhood - paper, scissors and the silhouette of a bird. Now, with his own children, the artist rekindles the instinctive pleasures of his earliest artistic play.

cm x cm

cm x cm (including frame)

Provenance

Personal gift from Pablo Picasso and his children to Marie-Claude Michaut, Claudine Chomat and Laurent Casanova.

Authenticated by the Pablo Picasso Committee on 10th November 2025 and catalogued under reference 0305.

Edvard Munch (1863–1944) Postcard Letter

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Edvard Munch (1863–1944) Postcard Letter

£0.00

Postcard with letter by Edvard Munch (1863–1944)

c. 1885

Original photo postcard with handwritten note.

Before his magnum opuses such as the Madonna and The Scream propelled him to stardom, Munch was in desperate need of money. One of his early patrons and passionate collectors was Gustav Schiefler, whom this postcard correspondence is sent to. Schiefler was the director of the district court in Hamburg and bought much of Munch’s work. He would prove to be a pivotal figure in advising and building the artist’s career, even going on to form the first catalogue raisonne.

Here, Munch attempts to sell one of his latest paintings, ‘Jorgen Sorensennow’ (now held in the National Museum of Norway), with a beautiful and haunting photograph by Olaf Martin Peder Væring of the work adorning the front of the postcard.

“I will choose another painting for you later. Write tomorrow, yours Edv. Munch…”

Provenance

From the artist to Gustav Schiefler (1857 - 1935).

Thence to his widow and Gerhard Schaack (1930-2024) by descent.

sold

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Drawing

£0.00

An original drawing by Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973).

This charming sketch was drawn to Chef, Pierre Wattier as currency to pay for his meal in Le Muy, Provence on September 26th, 1963.

Drawn on the inside cover of the Flammarion edition of Auguste Escoffier's culinary guide.

C1963, France.

Provenance

Chef de cuisine, Pierre Wattier.

The family of Pierre Wattier, thence by descent.

Acquired from the above.

This work has been authenticated by the Pablo Picasso Committee. A letter of authentication signed by Paloma Ruiz Picasso and Diana Widmaier Picasso is accompanied with the work. Documented under reference number 0113 and examined on 20/06/2024.

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Man Ray (1890 - 1976) Surrealist Hands on poem by Joyce Reeves

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Man Ray (1890 - 1976) Surrealist Hands on poem by Joyce Reeves

£0.00

Surrealist Hands on poem by Man Ray (1890 - 1976) and Joyce Reeves.

c. 1958

Pen on typewritten poem by Joyce Reeves.

In February 1958, Joyce Reeves typed this poem for Man Ray, celebrating his Abat-jour surrealist lampshade. Reeves’ words beautifully reference the flow of life and love as a spiral in its many forms.

A poet’s flexible mind, happy, alive to flowing
A lover’s spirit, answering, trembling
A love dance

Six months later, on Man Ray’s birthday, she gave him the poem.

Man Ray responds on the same sheet. In ink, he draws a pair of hands alongside a spiral down the middle of the page, uniting both of their hands. The poem and drawing become a conversation between two artists.

The hands are particularly evocative. Throughout Man Ray’s imagery, the hand could become both a fragment of the body and an enigmatic Surrealist sign. Intimate, tactile and strangely detached from its surroundings. Here, his drawing seems to reach into Reeves’ poem, giving physical form to its sense of movement and desire.

Reeves was Roland Penrose’s private secretary, research assistant and mistress from the early 1950’s into the early 1970’s. Penrose and Man Ray were close friends within the Surrealist circle, and Man Ray was a frequent visitor to the Penroses’ home, Farleys House. What remains is something unusually personal. A poem written for Man Ray, returned to its author’s world through his own hand. Words, spiral and gesture occupy the same sheet, preserving not simply an image but a moment of exchange between two members of the Surrealist circle.

Provenance

Forum Auctions, London. May 2019. Lot 314.

Private Collection, London. Acquired from the above.

Alberto Giacometti (1901 - 1966) Studies

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Figural Studies on newspaper by Alberto Giacometti (1901 - 1966).

c. 1959

Pen on Le Figaro Littéraire newspaper page.

Giacometti drew on whatever was immediately to hand. Books, magazines, newspapers and even the paper tablecloths of Parisian cafés became surfaces for his daily drawing practice. The café offered a place of solitude and concentration where he could return to the faces and figures that occupied his imagination.

Here, on the front and reverse of the Le Figaro Littéraire from the 11th April 1959, his searching lines transform the page. The newspaper carries the noise of the outside world whilst Giacometti’s lines slow it down. He circles a head, follows a profile, loses it and finds it again - often returning to the same place until the accumulation of lines begins to reveal form. A newspaper belongs to a single day, destined to be read and discarded. Giacometti turns it into something else. A small, intimate record of looking.

Provenance

Gifted directly from the artist to Eberhard Kornfeld (1923 - 2023).

The authenticity of this drawing has been confirmed by the Comité Giacometti, Paris. It is registered in the catalogue raisonné under the number AGD 3896.

sold

Jean Cocteau (1877–1953) Portrait

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Portrait of the Waiter by Jean Cocteau (1877–1953).

c. 1955

Pen on scrap paper, from the guestbook of La Méditerranée restaurant.

Opened in 1942, La Méditerranée quickly became an established meeting place within Parisian artistic and literary life. Situated opposite the Théâtre de l’Odéon, the restaurant attracted figures from the worlds of art, literature and theatre. Cocteau designed the restaurant’s original logo and later created its distinctive tableware and menus. His designs transformed the restaurant’s name into a small mythology of the sea, boats, fish, clouds and a radiant sun.

The restaurants proprietor, Jean Subrenat, would hand out a guestbook for artists to leave notes and drawings in thanks for their meals. On this evening, Cocteau takes a scrap piece paper with a map on it, draws the waiter and places it in the guestbook as he leaves.

Provenance

Jean Subrenat, owner of the La Méditerranée, Paris.

Then by descent to the current owner.

Christies Paris, Art Moderne October 2025, Lot 160.

Private Collection, London. Acquired from the above.