Unseen letter and doodles by Picasso on display in France

A previously unseen letter written by Pablo Picasso to his friend the French poet Max Jacob is displayed at the fine arts museum in Quimper, France. Beginning “my dear Max” and signed “your brother Picasso”, the letter shows the close bond between the Spanish artist and Jacob, who was “his best friend at the time and the person who really discovered him”, according to museum director Ambroise Guillaume. It was written in 1903 when Picasso was in Barcelona and offers details of his life there and also his wish to come back to Paris.

If I can work here, I’ll stay here, but if I see I can’t do anything here, I’ll bugger off back to Paris.

Contents of the letter from Pablo Picasso

The letter is extremely rare given that only 10 or so letters from Picasso to Jacob have ever been found, the museum noted. The sketches show a woman appearing to comfort a seated man, an outstretched hand, what appears to be a child kneeling next to a man while animals look on, and a couple deep in conversation. They are typical of the artist’s “blue period” which dominated his output around this time.

Arts Picasso letter