ALS in French, signed “Picasso,” one page, 6.25 x 8, 242 Boulevard Raspail letterhead, postmarked February 27, 1913. Handwritten letter to French writer Guillaume Apollinaire, regarding the Cubist portrait of the author that Picasso created to be used for the frontispiece of Alcools: Poemes (1898–1913), published by Mercure de France. In full (translated): "My dear Guillaume, Max [Jacob], who was with you the other day at Mercure de France, told me that he saw a proof of your portrait for your book of verses printed in blue. I think—and I want it to be printed in black and in no other way—that you should prevent any printing in another color." In fine condition, with two paperclip impressions to the upper left corner. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in Picasso's hand to "Guillaume Apollinaire, 202 Bd. St. Germain, E.V."
Pablo Picasso and Guillaume Apollinaire shared a vibrant friendship that helped shape the avant-garde spirit of early 20th-century Paris. Picasso’s revolutionary approach to painting, particularly Cubism, found a literary counterpart in Apollinaire’s bold, modernist poetry. Apollinaire’s first major collection, Alcools—published in 567 copies on the presses of Mercure de France in 1913—became a landmark modern work, blending tradition with experimental form in a way that paralleled the artistic innovations of Picasso. Fittingly, Picasso's Cubist portrait of the poet was used as its frontispiece. Their creative exchange—visual and verbal—pushed boundaries and forged new paths in both art and literature, leaving a profound cultural legacy.
Picasso's letter to Apollinaire is Reproduced in Album Apollinaire (Pléiade, 1971, p. 178) and Picasso/Apollinaire, Correspondance (1992, no. 77).
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