Unique archive of correspondence between Robert Motherwell, Odette Lazar-Vernet, and Philippe Lepatre relating to Motherwell's printmaking - 1966

New York, Provincetown, and Paris: unpublished, 1966-1969. AN OUTSTANDING AND VERY SUBSTANTIAL ARCHIVE OF UNPUBLISHED LETTERS RELATING TO ROBERT MOTHERWELL'S PRODUCTION OF PRINTS FOR ODETTE LAZAR-VERNET (publisher of "Paroles Peintes", among other things), dating from March 25, 1966 to May 6, 1969. In this correspondence we discover that Motherwell had no compunctions about having others retouch and even execute the plates from which "his" etchings were to be printed. The archive includes six letters from Motherwell (four typed, one manuscript, and one typed and heavily annotated in pen), five of which are SIGNED by Motherwell (Two "RM", one "Robert M", and two "Robert Motherwell") and one of which is signed "Robert Motherwell" by his secretary, Marie Walborn. Five are on stationery with the letterhead of his house at 173 East 94th St in New York, and the sixth from the "Sea Barn" in Provincetown. In one of the letters Motherwell refers to his wife, Helen Frankenthaler (at the outset of this correspondence, Lazar-Vernet admits that she hadn't known that they were married.) Also present is a letter from Marie Walborn and six carbon copies of the responses: five from Odette Lazar-Vernet and one from Philippe Lepatre (i.e., Philippe Lazar). Postal service was apparently very impressive in those days: on March 28th, 1966, Motherwell responds to a letter written to him, in Paris, on March 25th. A fascinating collection, giving a behind-the-scenes view of Motherwell's production of prints. In very good condition throughout.