Description:

Marc Chagall TLS Regarding 1946 MOMA Exhibition: "I am happy for you and for me also"

A 1p typed letter in French signed by modern artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985) as "Marc Chagall" near the center. Written at Dixie Farm in Wallkill, New York on a single leaf of typing paper. Expected wear including minor paper folds, isolated closed tears, and minor chipped edges, else near fine. 8.5" x 11."

Chagall wrote this letter to his friend Adolphe Juviler, a devoted collector of modern art whose collection included works by Chagall himself. The letter suggests that two pieces from Juviler's collection, works by Chagall, had been selected for exhibition at an unidentified museum, one that we believe was the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Translated in full, with punctuation silently added to improve clarity:

"Dixie Farm
Wallkill, N.Y.
March 27 I946

Dear Friend,

I just learned, after returning here, that you had telephoned me. I regret that I am in the country, where I work, but I will return to New York around the 1st of April.

I am pleased to learn that the Museum has taken two of your paintings for the exhibition. I am happy for you and for me also.

See you soon I hope. Best wishes to your wife, and best to you,

[signed] Marc Chagall."

Translator's note: Chagall's original message in French did not include any accent marks.

The museum referred to in the letter, though its name is not explicitly stated, is almost certainly the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The MOMA presented a retrospective exhibition of Marc Chagall's artwork between April 9 - June 23, 1946. The exhibition represented a cross-section of Chagall's work produced over forty years, on loan from American, French, Swedish, Belgian, Dutch, and Swiss collectors.

Two of the works in the MOMA's 1946 exhibition catalog, Item 52, "The Madonna of the Village" (1938-1942) and Item 58, "Listening to the Cock" (1944), were oils on canvas by Chagall on loan from Adolphe Juviler. [Ed. James Johnson Sweeney, "Marc Chagall" (New York: The Museum of Modern Art in collaboration with The Art Institute of Chicago, 1946.)] This can be the only reasonable interpretation of Chagall's statement in the letter, "I am pleased to learn that the Museum has taken two of your paintings for the exhibition. I am happy for you and for me also." Please refer to attached images of these exhibition listings as well as a black and white plate of the second of Chagall's works. Note that these images are included just for reference, and the catalog is not included with the lot.

Very little information can be found about Chagall's correspondent, Adolphe Juviler. He was French-speaking, and possibly a naturalized citizen of the United States. Juviler served as the chairman of the Olympic Radio and Television Inc., of Long Island City, and was also the president of International Resistance Company, a manufacturer of resistors, key components of early televisions. Juviler channeled his business acumen into art collecting.

Juviler's art collection was described by "Time" Magazine in 1961 as "a choice, if uneven, selection of modern paintings, sculpture, and drawings" which included works by Marc Chagall, Pierre Bonnard, and Chaim Soutine. In the fall of 1961, Juviler and his wife decided to thin out his art collection. The prestigious Manhattan auction house Parke-Bernet Galleries handled the sale of 39 works of art, garnering over $1 million in sales, and enabling the wealthy couple from New York and Palm Beach to devote more time to travel.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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