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several old letters and envelopes are sitting on a white surfacea close up of a stamp with a drawing on it
ALDE

215 - [ZÜRN (Unica)]. A set comprising three signed autograph lett…
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Estimate €2,000 - €3,000
Sale commission
Description
[ZÜRN (Unica)]. A set comprising three signed autograph letters, two of which are with envelopes, and a stamp design, relating to Unica Zürn. JELENSKI (Kostanty, known as Kot). Autograph letter addressed to Hans Bellmer (‘Dear Hans’), 2 pp. in-4, on letterhead from the journal *Preuves*. Jelenski discusses Unica Zürn’s worrying condition, the steps taken with Jean Braun, François Bondy, Willy Brandt and the German Embassy, as well as the possibility of psychiatric help and a fundraising campaign on her behalf. The copy is enriched with numerous handwritten annotations in red ink by Hans Bellmer, identifying several of the people mentioned and noting in the footnote: ‘The marks in red are in my own hand’, followed by his signature. Kot Jelenski (Warsaw 1922 – Paris 1987) was a critic and writer of Polish origin who was very close to Léonor Fini, to whom he dedicated several works. BELLMER (Hans). Handwritten letter addressed to Henri Michaux, dated 22 December 1958, 1 p. in-4, envelope preserved. Bellmer sends a translation of several anagrams by Unica Zürn. ZÜRN (Unica). Handwritten letter, 1 p., in-8, envelope preserved. Addressed to Henri Michaux, she thanks him for returning two notebooks containing her drawings and informs him that her manuscript about her years of illness has just been accepted by Gallimard, promising to send him a copy as soon as it is published. Henri Michaux had been commissioned by Hans Bellmer to ‘retrieve’ Unica Zürn’s artistic works—often produced in notebooks—from Sainte-Anne, where she was committed. It should be remembered that at that time, works created within public psychiatric institutions were deemed to become the property of those institutions, which was hardly conducive to the recovery of their creators – quite the contrary… Enclosed is a black blotting card, adorned with a stamp designed and signed by Unica Zürn: ‘To Henri Michaux (December ’58)’. Inside is a small piece of paper on which are written the anagrams, the translation of which is given above: ‘Hans Bellmer to Henri Michaux’. On the relationship between Hans Bellmer, Henri Michaux and Unica Zürn, see the book *Pour Unica Zürn. Lettres de Hans Bellmer à Henri Michaux*, Ypsilon, Paris, 2009.
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About the sale Eros & Thanatos – Selected extracts from the L-D S library
Auction location
Auction time 10/07/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits:
ALDE
See original version (French)
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