FEININGER, LYONEL. AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED, WITH TWO FEININGER PRINTED IMAGES. 28 SEPTEMBER 1940

2 pages (11 x 8 1/2 in.; 279 x 216 mm) on onion-skin paper with a printed Feininger image on each leaf, Falls Village, Connecticut, 28 September 1940, to Dr. Ernst Rathenau, Carmel, California; light horizontal creases. Typed envelope.

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.

A fine autograph letter with two classic Feininger printed images. Ernst Rathenau (1898–1986) was a German art collector and publisher of prints and illustrated books in Berlin in the 1920's. By the time this letter was written, he was living in California. The painter writes, "Your letter full of good and encouraging words for my S[an]. F[rancisco]. exhibition, has pleased us so much here. Also the day before, I received a similar letter from Dr. Fred Neumeyer from Mills College, and these two letters have done us some good. "Unfortunately, the present time is as bad for us as possible. Within 2 weeks, we will literally be without funds. Although people owe us money, we have been waiting in vain since July for payment. But somehow we will find a solution. The S. F. Museum has also pledged a sale; the Whitney Museum in N.Y. also invited me to the exhibition in November; 3 or 4 other exhibitions have already been agreed for the winter here in N.Y. in several galleries …. Dr. Neumeyer would like to show the watercolors at Mills College after the exhibition in S.F. has ended."

Dr. Alfred Neumeyer (1901–1973) was an art historian who fled Nazi Germany for the U.S. and taught at Mills College in California for many years. He brought Feininger to Mills as an instructor for a year during the war.

The image at the top of the first page of the letter is Feininger's Schiff in schwerer See (1918) (3 1/8 x 4 3/4 in.; 79 x 121 mm). The image at the top of the second page the church at Gelmoroda (c. 1920) (3 x 2 1/2 in.; 76 x 64 mm).