Description

Description: In this fascinating autograph letter signed, Soyer makes several comments about whether or not a good portrait needs to be accurate. “I liked your portrait by Joyce—I think she made you too tall—however a thousand years from now nobody will know your size. Am quoting Michael Angelo [Michelangelo] when he was told that his portrait of Lorenzo or Cosimo de Medici was not a good likeness. He (M.A.) said ‘a thousand years from now nobody will know what he (Cosimo or Lorenzo) looked like.'” He also comments about his own work: “My paintings (even if I have to say it myself) are of good quality—but frankly—I do not need them. My studio and home and my daughter’s home as well as my gallery are filled…[I] am an over-producer.”

Two pages written on a 10 1/2″ x 7 1/4″ sheet of stationery imprinted: “Raphael Soyer 88 Central Park West New York, N. Y. 10023”. Item #A02102

Raphael Zalman Soyer (1899-1987) was a Russian-born American painter and printmaker who studied at the National Academy of Design and at the Art Students League of New York. His works are in the collections of numerous prestigious art institutions, including: National Gallery of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Hirshhorn Museum, etc.

Condition: Mailing fold lines, otherwise fine condition.