Description:

Surrealist Andre Masson ALS Re: Manifesto for an Independent Revolutionary Art, “we must overcome pessimism and nihilism”

MASSON, ANDRE. Autograph Letter Signed,(“André Masson”, 1p, 8vo, Lyons-la-Foret, n.d., but likely 1938. To French poet, critic and a founder of Surrealism, Andre Breton (1896-1966). In French, translated below. Written in black ink on an oblong sheet of graph paper. With several notations in the upper margin in unidentified hands including “Breton” in brackets. In fine condition.

“I have received the Manifesto for an Independent Revolutionary Art. Quite naturally, I agree with you and Diego Rivera.

Hopefully, the concept concerning the relationship between Art and the State will become reality in the near future. There is no precedent for this in history, but I know that we must overcome pessimism and nihilism – to which we are very often inclined in this age of mud, spit and blood.

In any case, our momentum – our thought – belong to the Future.

We hope that Jacqueline is doing well; that she recovers quickly, and we hope to see all three of you soon.

From the bottom of my heart, your friend…”

Andre Masson (1896-1987) was a French Surrealist artist. After studying Sigmund Freud’s works in depth, Breton developed his practice of automatic writing, tapping into the unconscious to bring together incongruous images. He delineated this philosophy in his 1924 Surrealist Manifesto, which defined the nascent Surrealist movement. In April 1938, on a French government grant, Breton traveled to Mexico for four months and met Leon Trotsky, who had been living there in exile since 1937 after losing a power struggle with Josef Stalin for control of the Communist Party in 1929. In Mexico, Trotsky had renewed his friendship with Mexican muralist Diego Rivera (1886-1957), and together Breton, Rivera and Trotsky authored the anti-Stalinist Manifesto for an Independent Revolutionary Art, the subject of our letter. The statement demanded that art be independent from social constraints and government interference and called for the establishment of an International Federation of Independent Revolutionary Art, separate from the Communist International, and which Breton set about organizing immediately upon his return to France, where he enlisted the support of Masson, Yves Tanguy, Benjamin Péret, and others. Our remarkable, though undated, letter appears to document the moment Breton won over Masson’s support.

Masson had come to Breton’s attention as a young artist in the 1920s and he became a leading practitioner of automatic writing and drawing as well as an important figure within the Surrealist movement. Declared “degenerate” by the Nazi occupation forces in France he, like Breton, left France with the help of Varian Fry in 1939. Masson settled in the United States where he exerted his influence on American abstract expressionists like Jackson Pollock.

Surrealist artist Jacqueline Lamba (1910-1993) was married to Breton from 1934-1943 and the pair had two children together, the first of which is obliquely referred to in our letter. After leaving Breton, Lamba spent seven months in Mexico with Rivera and his wife, artist Frida Kahlo. The two women enjoyed a particularly close relationship, finding common ground in their struggle to gain artistic recognition while working in their husband’s shadows. Lamba later married American sculptor David Hare.

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.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

qxp

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.


Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

September 29, 2021 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000