Magnificent letter in blue pastel from Pablo PICASSO to his friend Max.

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

Autograph letter signed to Max Pellequer.

One page, octavo, in blue grease pencil.
[Château de] Vauvenargues, June 24, 1959

Affectionate and magnificent letter from the master to his friend and collector Max Pellequer.

_________________________________________________________

"My dear Max, You just left this morning and I'm already bothering you again (see my letter about the contributions I receive). Many best wishes from both of us to you both. Picasso"

_________________________________________________________

A banker and discerning art lover, Max Pellequer began assembling a considerable collection of modernist works in the 1920s. In 1920, he married Francine Level, niece of the art dealer and businessman André Level. It was through Level that he met Picasso in 1914. This encounter marked the beginning of an enduring friendship between the two men. Pellequer became one of the artist's closest confidants, as well as his banker and financial advisor. For over 30 years, he acquired an incredible collection of paintings and sculptures from Picasso. The correspondence they maintained throughout these years allows us to appreciate the depth of the bond between the two men.

With the invaluable help of his friend Max, Picasso acquired a 14th-century château ⁱⁿ 1958 in Vauvenargues, near Aix-en-Provence, at the foot of Mont Sainte-Victoire. He occupied it intermittently between 1959 and 1962. Regarding this, he told Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler: "I bought Cézanne's Sainte-Victoire. Which one? The real one." It was in the grounds of this same property that the painter was buried in a somber atmosphere on April 10, 1973.

Provenance: Max Pellequer Collection, then private collection.