"Je te [sic] embrasse tout le temps"

Autograph letter signed by Pablo Picasso to Fernande Olivier. Two pages in black ink on a ruled sheet with the letterhead of the Hôtel du Canigou, Maison Armand, Céret. Autograph envelope addressed to 'Madame Picasso' at their address of 11 boulevard de Clichy, postmarked 8 August 1911. Folds from mailing, tiny marginal tears without affecting the text, front and back of the envelope detached.

A superb unpublished letter to "la belle Fernande" from Céret, the Mecca of Cubism. Having just arrived in this temple of modern art, where he would spend three summers with Braque, Picasso writes to his first muse in what may be his last love letter to her, already tinged with a sense of freedom and new desires.
 
This extremely rare early letter, written in hesitant French marked by Catalan influences, marked a turning point in Picasso's life and career.

A painter finally recognized, comfortably settled in a beautiful Parisian building with a housekeeper, pets, and "Madame Picasso", Pablo escaped for what he thought would be a short provincial jaunt to this Catalan village, at the invitation of Manolo Hugué.

What was meant to be a simple return to his roots, far from Parisian bourgeois life, becomes a tremendous source of inspiration. The creative power that this new life instilled in Picasso shines through in this passionate letter, in which love, friendship, space and desire are jostled together in a joyful collage of fragmented exchanges between a love letter and the birth of a new inspiration.
 
 « Je t'aime beaucoup [...] Je ne ai reçu encore que une lettre de toi tu me écriras tous les jours [...] je t'embrasse tout le temps.»
 
["I love you very much [...] I have only received one letter from you so far, and you will write to me every day [...] I kiss you all the time."]
 
Fernande Olivier, known as "La Belle Fernande" ["Beautiful Fernande"] in Montmartre, had enthralled the young Picasso when they met in 1904. He convinced her to move into his studio at Bateau-Lavoir, where he continued to paint, sculpt and draw his muse, who now posed exclusively for him. From his earliest sketches of their passionate embraces to the fragmented Demoiselles d'Avignon, her figure dominates his early works. This first great love played a decisive role in Pablo Picasso's artistic direction, who then experienced his first successes. However, after six bohemian years in her company, painting remained the most dangerous rival. Preoccupied with himself and his work, Picasso joined his friends Manolo and Franck Burty Haviland in Céret and left his muse alone in their new flat on the Boulevard de Clichy, surrounded by a veritable domestic menagerie: three Siamese cats, a bitch and a guenon who turned the place upside down: "Je pense que tu as raison de donner le chat de Siam il n'est pas rigolo et après dernièrement la maison sentait vraiment trop la pisse". ["I think you're right to give away Siam's cat, he's no fun and lately the house has smelt too much of piss."]
Worried by her lover's silence- « Ma chère Fernande tu me demandes si je pense à toi allors [sic] tu crois que je peux te oublier » [ 'My dear Fernande, you ask me if I'm thinking of you, so [sic] do you think I can forget you?'] - Fernande, who was already calling herself 'Madame Picasso', transformed their flat, much to the painter's dismay: « Je pense que tu vas me faire arranger l'atelier mais que on fasse etention [attention] et que on mete les livres avec les livres les penceaux avec les penceaux et les bouteilles avec les chopines » ["I think you are going to have the studio arranged for me, but make sure to be careful and put the books with the books, the brushes with the brushes, and the bottles with the jugs."] But although Picasso still pretended to believe in his return : « enfin que Louise se arrange de façon que je puisse trouver quelque chose quand je rentre »  ['Finally, Louise should arrange things so that I can find what I need when I return.'], his letter bore witness to an entirely different passion: « Je ai commencé à travailler chez Haviland ier je serais bien ».  ['I have started working at Haviland's studio yesterday, and I will be well.'] Their relationship was indeed experiencing its final moments and, in the autumn, Picasso succumbed to the charms of Eva Gouel, while Fernande found refuge in the arms and on the canvases of the futurist painter Ubaldo Oppi. Despite this break-up and the infidelities of each of them, Fernande did not hesitate to write in her memoirs:  « ces années vécues près de toi, ce fut la seule époque heureuse de ma vie »  ['those years spent close to you were the only happy time of my life'].
Written at the dawn of his Cubist adventure, the letter reveals the creative effervescence of the painter, who seemed incapable of moderating his excitement. Between each address to Fernande, the happiness of life in the Cévennes comes to the fore: « hier soir, j'ai diné chez Manolo » [Last night, I dined at Manolo's'], « Dede Denicker ne est pas encore arrivé » [Dede Denicker hasn't arrived yet], he wrote (referring to the young emulate baptised 'the youngest of the Cubists' by Apollinaire who that summer would become Manolo's pupil). And if Picasso was still thinking about the Bateau-Lavoir, it was almost more for his 'friends' than for his lover: « Je ne ai reçu encore que une lettre de toi tu me écriras tous les jours et tu dis aux copains de me ecrire aussi. (...) Je ai envoyé des cartes postalles à tout le monde. » ["I have only received one letter from you. You must write to me every day and tell the friends to write to me too. (...) I have sent postcards to everyone."] We know some of his famous cards scribbled with few words, notably to Apollinaire and his dealer Kahnweiler.

Beyond the intense pleasure Picasso finds in rediscovering his Catalan roots, this letter also reflects his attraction to a modest life: « Je pai 4 francs par jour à l'Hôtel. » ("I pay 4 francs a day at the hotel") and one that was conducive to creative profusion: « La maison est si grande je aurai plusieurs ateliers à ma dispocition ». This relationship with simplicity and space, which dominates the letter, was fundamental to the emergence of a new aesthetic, the 'discipline of the humble' of Cubist painting. The arrival a few days later of Braque and Max Jacob marked the start of a series of three summer seasons in Céret, of extraordinary artistic fertility.
It was precisely during this period that a fundamental innovation marked his works: words and letters entered his compositions as 'optical textures' (Michel Butor) and mischievous games of meaning.
Still brimming with love, this magnificent letter nonetheless foreshadows that the true break with Fernande would owe less to Eva Gouel than to Picasso's new artistic life. And when her biographer Sophie Chauveau recalls the days spent in the alcove of the studio, it is with Georges Braque: "To think they only spent two weeks together there! My God, how closely bound they were to one another! When you see the result, it's astonishing!" Among the masterpieces painted during this first stay are iconic works of Analytical Cubism, including Le Poète, L'Accordéoniste, L'Éventail (L'Indépendant), and famous oval-shaped object pictures (Man with a Pipe; Palette, pinceaux, livre de Victor Hugo).

This letter is characteristic of Picasso's early 20th-century correspondence, examples of which remain exceedingly rare in private hands. In his handwriting « frappée de la verdeur naïve de la jeunesse » (Laurence Madeline, Picasso épistolaire)  ('stamped with the naive verve of youth'], the painter pokes fun at the poxed face of his patron: 'Haviland and [is] full of nails' which reminds the reader of the famous African statuettes stolen from the Louvre that would do Picasso so much harm a few weeks later, when the Mona Lisa was stolen). The delightful spelling of the young Picasso still abounds in Spanish expressions - having only lived in France for a few years, his near-bilingual expressions mirror his return to Catalan soil, so close to his Barcelona youth. 'He lived like he was in Spain', Fernande remembers, and seems immensely happy about it: "They barely celebrate July 14th here; they only love Don Carlos", he writes here. He made the most of the conviviality of his Catalan friend and of the 'Grand Café de Céret, run by Michel Justafré', whose letterhead graces this missive, and whose marble tables were covered with Picasso's countless sketches. This establishment would go on to welcome the greatest figures of modern art, including Juan Gris, Matisse, Moïse Kisling, Marquet, and Soutine. Within its Moorish windows, Braque and Picasso would also obtain sheet music from their friend who had settled in the village, the composer Déodat de Séverac, for their Cubist paper collages. The memory of this café also lives on in the front pages of the local newspaper L'Indépendant, hastily read at the bar, which became an integral part of his paintings.
 
A magnificent and extremely rare pre-Cubist letter to his first muse and his first great love, who shared the bohemian life of the young Picasso in the 'Cubist Acropolis' of the Bateau-Lavoir. Here Fernande receives a precious account of the painter's early days in Céret, a milestone in the great epic of Cubism.

PICASSO AND FERNANDE

« My dear Fernande, you ask if I think of you, so do you believe I could forget you? I love you deeply […] I have only received one letter from you so far; you will write to me every day [...] I kiss you constantly».
When, in 1904, the young model Fernande Olivier entered his life, known in Montmartre as « La Belle Fernande », Picasso's existence took a new turn. She would be the first woman, after his mother and sisters, to play a significant role in his work and personal life (Marilyn McCully). Enthralled, Picasso convinced her to move into his studio at the Bateau-Lavoir, where he painted, sculpted, and drew his muse, who now posed exclusively for him. From the ink drawings depicting their passionate beginnings to the fragmented forms of Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, Fernande’s silhouette and face permeated his work. Yet after six years of bohemian life together, painting became the most dangerous rival. Absorbed in himself and his art, Picasso paid less attention to the beautiful odalisque, whom he had left alone in Paris. His absence, however, inspired him to write tender words in this letter.
Taking advantage of the painter’s newfound prosperity, they had moved to Boulevard de Clichy, where this letter found its recipient, who insisted on being called « Madame Picasso ». The apartment housed Picasso’s menagerie—three Siamese cats, a dog, and a monkey who wreaked havoc in the space: « I think you are right to give away the Siamese cat—it’s no fun, and lately, the house has smelled too much like pee ». The apartment was filled with paintings, drawings, books, and the famous African statuettes stolen from the Louvre, which caused Picasso much trouble a few weeks later when the Mona Lisa was stolen. He requested that the organized chaos of his sanctuary not be too disturbed before his return: « I think you will tidy the studio for me, but do it carefully and put the books with the books, the brushes with the brushes, and the bottles with the jugs, so that I can find something when I get back ». These lines mark the twilight of a complex love affair that would « meet the fate of most passionate relationships » (Norman Mailer). Fernande would join Picasso in Céret a few weeks later, before their relationship ended in the fall—Picasso falling for Eva Gouel while she found solace in the arms of the Futurist painter Ubaldo Oppi. Despite their infidelities, Fernande would later write in her Ecrits intimes: « Those years spent near you were the only happy time of my life ».

PICASSO AND CÉRET—THE HAVEN OF CUBISTS
Picasso wrote from Céret, where he arrived in the summer of 1911 at the invitation of the sculptor Manolo, a fellow Catalan, while avoiding Spanish military service. The painter set up his studio in the Alcouffe house of his Montmartre-era friend, the artist and wealthy heir Frank Burty Haviland. This marked the beginning of the Cubist adventure, which unfolded over three summers in Céret through the partnership of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. The atmosphere of Céret was particularly conducive to the « discipline of humility » seen in his Cubist paintings. It was precisely during this period that a fundamental innovation appeared in his work: words and letters became part of his compositions as « optical textures » (Michel Butor) and playful linguistic games. Picasso confided about his creative activity: « I started working at Haviland’s yesterday; I will be fine. The house is so big that I will have several studios at my disposal ». Once Braque arrived, the two would isolate themselves in the studio: « To think they stayed together in Céret for only two weeks! They were so connected! When you see the results, it’s incredible! », remarked biographer Sophie Chauveau. Among the paintings created during this first stay were immortal masterpieces of Analytical Cubism, including Le Poète, L'Accordéoniste, L’Éventail (L’Indépendant), and famous oval-shaped painting-objects (L’Homme à la pipe; Palette, pinceaux, livre de Victor Hugo).
This letter immerses us in the intimate circle of the « Picasso Gang », bridging his Parisian friends and the Céret school, which was soon to expand: « Tell the friends to write to me too […] I sent postcards to everyone ». He notably sent some of his famous sketch-filled postcards to Apollinaire and his dealer Kahnweiler. The rest of the group would soon join him: « Dede Denicker has not arrived yet », he wrote, mentioning the young protégé dubbed « the youngest of the Cubists » by Apollinaire, who became Manolo’s student that summer. The arrival of Braque and Max Jacob a few days later marked the beginning of three extraordinarily creative summers in Céret.
The letter typifies his early-century correspondence, of which very few examples remain in private hands. In his writing, « imbued with the rawness of youth » (Laurence Madeline, Picasso Épistolaire), the painter humorously describes his patron’s pockmarked face: « Haviland is full of nails ». Picasso’s charmingly imperfect French reflects his Spanish heritage—having lived in France for only a few years, his almost bilingual words accompany a true return to his roots in Céret, a Catalan town so close to the border and his Barcelona youth. « He lived as if in Spain », recalled Fernande, and he seemed to rejoice immensely: « We hardly celebrate the 14th of July here; they only like Don Carlos », he wrote. He enjoyed the hospitality of his Catalan friend: « Last night, I had dinner at Manolo’s », and the Grand Café, whose letterhead appears on this missive and whose marble tables hosted countless Picasso sketches. Throughout the century, the café welcomed some of modern art’s greatest names, including Juan Gris, Matisse, Moïse Kisling, Marquet, and Soutine. In this institution with Hispano-Moorish windows, Braque and Picasso obtained sheet music for their Cubist papiers collés from their friend, the composer Déodat de Séverac, who lived in the village. The café’s legacy also survives in the front pages of the local newspaper, L’Indépendant, hastily read at the counter, which became integral parts of his paintings.
A magnificent letter to his first French love, who shared the bohemian life of the young Picasso in the « Cubist Acropolis » of the Bateau-Lavoir. Fernande receives here a precious testament to the painter’s early days in Céret, a true milestone in the grand saga of Cubism. 

"My dear Fernande, you ask if I think of you, so do you believe I could forget you? I love you deeply. 
I started working at Haviland’s yesterday; I will be fine. The house is so big that I will have several studios at my disposal. 
Last night, I had dinner at Manolo’s. I think you are right to give away the Siamese cat—it’s no fun, and lately, the house has smelled too much like pee. Dede Denicker has not arrived yet. We hardly celebrate the 14th of July here; they only like Don Carlos. I pay 4 francs a day at the hotel. 
I have only received one letter from you so far; you will write to me every day and tell the friends to write to me too. 
Haviland is full of nails. 
I sent postcards to everyone. 
I think you will tidy the studio for me, but do it carefully and put the books with the books, the brushes with the brushes, and the bottles with the jugs, so that I can find something when I get back. 
Greetings to everyone, and to you, I kiss you constantly.
Pablo"