Trotsky, Leon

Typed letter, signed ("Yours as ever, L. Trotsky"), 3 pages (8 1/2 x 11 in.; 215 x 280 mm), Coyoacan, D.F., 12 January 1939, to Frida Kahlo, enlisting her help in handling Diego Rivera; formerly folded, a few light marginal spots.

L. Trotsky, G. Breitman, ed., Writings 1938–1939, pp. 276–279, and quoted in H. Herrera, Frida: a Biography of Frida Kahlo (1972), pp. 248–249

Typed letter, signed ("Yours as ever, L. Trotsky"), 3 pages (8 1/2 x 11 in.; 215 x 280 mm), Coyoacan, D.F., 12 January 1939, to Frida Kahlo, enlisting her help in handling Diego Rivera; formerly folded, a few light marginal spots.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Trotsky asks for Frida's help in dealing with Diego.

When Leon Trotsky arrived in Mexico with his wife Natalia in January 1937, he went to live at the Casa Azul, the home of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Diego sympathized with Trotsky's international socialism, and had joined the Fourth International in 1936 though Frida never joined. Trotsky became very close with the pair, and began to show a lively interest in Frida with whom he only spoke in English for the occasions when his wife was present. Frida saw the possibility of an affair with Trotsky as suitable revenge for Diego's affair with her sister. Their relationship was, though known to Diego, short-lived; the Trotsky's moved to another house in Coyoacan, and as consolation, Frida painted a self-portrait in November 1937 which she gave him.

Diego resigned from Trotsky's movement in January 1939, and to forestall this move, Trotsky wrote the present letter to Frida, trying to enlist her help. After complimenting her on her success in New York and wishing her the same in France, (for which she was about to depart), he writes: "It is very difficult for me to find out the real source of Diego's discontent. Twice I tried to provoke a frank discussion on the matter, but he was very general in his answers." He goes on to explain why Diego would not do as Party Secretary "... because a 'secretary' who never writes, never answers letters, never comes to meetings on time and who always makes the opposite of the common decision, is not a good secretary." Trotsky emphasizes that Diego is an authentic revolutionary but unfit for "routine work in the Party."

Diego had become active in the Partido Revolucionario Obrero y Campesino, organized by the Casa del Pueblo, and Trotsky believed he had concealed this activity from him. "I was very much alarmed, because I was sure that this personal venture could not end without disagreeable results for the Fourth International and for Diego, personally." He mentions the letter Diego wrote to André Breton about Trotsky: "The factual basis of his outburst against me is absolutely false, a pure product of Diego's imagination ... of course it is not important in itself, but it is an infallible symptom of his genuine mood." Diego believed that Trotsky wanted to distance himself from the artist, and Trotsky goes on to recount an incident in which Diego tried to read his latest article at a meeting at Trotsky's house only to be rebuffed because of Trotsky's poor aural understanding of Spanish "... but Diego forgets the common decisions immediately and then he looks for the most fantastic explanations of the most simple things. The idea of my wanting to be rid of Diego is so incredible, so absurd, permit me to say, so mad, that I can only shrug my shoulders helplessly."

Trotsky accepts that Diego has resigned from his movement and promises to "... do everything possible to settle at least the political matter, even if I am not successful in settling the personal question. However I believe your help is essential in this crisis. Diego's break with us would signify not only a heavy blow to the Fourth International, but — I am afraid to say — would mean the moral death of Diego, himself. Apart from the Fourth International and its sympathizers I doubt whether he would be able to find a milieu of understanding and sympathy, not only as an artist, but as a revolutionist and as a person."

Also included is a typed letter, signed ("Diego Rivera"), 1 page (8 1/2 x 11 in.; 215 x 280 mm), Coyoacan, D.F., 31 August 1954, to Irwin Edelman, acknowledging receipt of manuscripts on the Rosenberg case, refusing to involve himself for personal reasons (perhaps the recent death of Frida 13 July), or to provide a contribution "... my personal resources are extremely limited." Edelman was one of several private individuals who questioned the sentence given the Rosenbergs and arguing that they should have been tried by the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 instead of the Espionage Act of 1917.