Camille Pissarro | Autograph letter signed, to H. Heymann, on his paintings and finances, 1887

Camille Pissarro

Autograph letter signed, to Hippolyte Heymann, asking him for an advance (“…Ne pourriez-vous, en attendant que vous fassiez une affaire m’avance un peu d’argent? Cas je n’ai rien, rien absolument…”), discussing three paintings that are being exhibited at the Galerie Georges Petit, justifying his prices by citing “par suite des prix des deux tableaux de Durand-Ruel”, and asking if he can entrust his interests to Heymann if he leaves town for a few days, 3 pages, 8vo (175 x 113 mm), Paris, 9 May 1887

[with:] a receipt signed by Lucien Pissarro, for a medal and diploma awarded at the Barcelona International Exhibition, 1911, with envelope

PISSARRO AND THE ART MARKET. Hippolyte Heymann was an art critic and dealer who worked closely with a number of Impressionist artists. This letter shows him working with Pissarro during the Sixth International Exhibition at the Galerie Georges Petit, which also included works by Monet, Rodin, Sisley, Morisot, and Whistler. Despite his growing reputation as an artist, Pissarro was not exaggerating when he claimed to be penniless; the following week he apologised to his son for the delay in writing, but explained that he had lacked the money for a stamp.

PROVENANCE:

Sale in our New York rooms, 24 September 1986, lot 37