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Lot 162

SMITH (MATTHEW)

22 November 2011, 10:30 GMT
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £312.50 inc. premium

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SMITH (MATTHEW)

Series of seven autograph letters signed (one with initials), to the composer Bernard van Dieren, principally discussing the possible sale of a painting in van Dieren's possession to the composer Sir Arthur Bliss; the letters also touch on his painting in France, problems with tax, van Dieren's poor health (offering to pay for a second opinion), problems with his own eyesight, a review in the Daily Telegraph ("...It was a violin solo, I believe. I longed & long to hear it..."), the broadcast of his Chinese Symphony ("...Tragically I did not succeed in getting the B.B.C. ... I heard every language on earth except that of your beautiful music..."), etc. 23 pages, 8vo, London, Paris, Cagnes-sur-Mer, November 25, 1932 - March 9, 1935 (two undated)

Footnotes

THE PAINTER SIR MATTHEW SMITH TO THE COMPOSER BERNARD VAN DIEREN; largely about the sale of a Matthew Smith painting from Van Dieren to his fellow composer Sir Arthur Bliss (negotiated by Smith as a tactful means of helping Van Dieren): "Do you think by setting in motion delicate machinery it would be possible to prevail on Bliss to buy the canvas you now hold of mine as a sort of hostage, putting the very lowest price 50 or 60 half going to you for Roche [van Dieren's doctor] and half I should send to my wife/... I feel that you feel a little injured that I should seem to wish to transfer the canvas from you to Bliss. I should of course never have suggested what I did suggest, had it not been understood that you were probably changing the canvas in question for another one later on".

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