SIGNAC, PAUL. 15 AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED ("PAUL SIGNAC," "P. SIGNAC," "P. S."), IN FRENCH

15 autograph letters signed ("Paul Signac," "P. Signac," "P. S."), in French, 48 pages on Société des Artistes Indépendants letterhead (8 1/2 x 5 1/4 in.; 216 x 133mm and 10 5/8 x 8 1/2 in.; 270 x 216 mm), Paris, 9 February 1920–2 April 1926, to Vittorio Pica, Venice, Milan and Paris; vertical and horizontal folds. 12 autograph envelopes.

Condition as described in catalogue entry.
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.

Signac. Vittorio Pica, and the Venice Biennale. In 1920, Italian critic and journalist Vittorio Pica (1862–1930) became Secretary General of the Venice Biennale. He is best remembered for bringing the staid art exposition forward into the twentieth century and greatly improving the quality the the art on exhibition. As these letters demonstrate, the painter Paul Signac (1863–1935) was a key partner in helping Pica attain his goals. In 1884, Signac, along with George Seurat, Odilon Redon, and Albert Dubois-Pillet, founded the Société des Artistes Indépendants in Paris. The group mounted annual exhibitions with no juries and no prizes. Their exhibitions of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Fauvist, and Cubist art were ground-breaking. When he took over the Biennale in 1920, Pica turned to Signac to help him secure the best French art of the recent past and the present day for Venice. By 13 February Signac was hard at work, but initial results were sketchy: Matisse, Vuillard, and others had not responded: Marquet was in Algeria; Redon's widow had promised to lend, but Signac cannot find out what pictures she will send; he hoped to secure Seurat's Cirque. Signac persevered and by 19 May he had assembled a group of 76 items, starting off with an impressive 23 Cézannes, and including 4 Seurats, 3 Matisses, 2 Bonnards, 2 Redons, 2 Marquets, and a Maillol.  The exhibition was well received by the Italian and international public and by the French artists who exhibited. "Tous les camarades francais sont enchanté des beaux résultats de l'Exposition de Venise — Tous me chargent de vous adresser remerciments et compliments."

In July 1921, Signac reported on the current Salon des Indépendents: "Oh, oh! De Cézanne — le peinture par excellence — a Jacques Blanche. qui n'est meme pas un peintre, quelle chulé, mon ami Pica!" The correspondence continued until 1926, with talk of Paris exhibitions, French artists and art dealers.

A remarkable cache of letters demonstrating Signac's tireless work on behalf of French art.