HENRI LE DOUANIER ROUSSEAU (1844-1910) LETTRE... Lot n° 42

HENRI LE DOUANIER ROUSSEAU (1844-1910) AUTOGRAPHIC LETTER SIGNED to Dear Sir. Paris, April 1, 1910, 3 pages in-12 in ink (slight tear and folds). Extremely rare and capital letter of Douanier Rousseau explaining his famous painting Le Rêve in which appears a naked woman on a sofa in the jungle. ...'I am replying to this kind letter in order to explain to you the motive for the said sofa in question. This woman sleeping on this couch dreams that she is transported to this forest hearing sounds of the charmer's instrument'... ...'And if I kept a naivety, it is because Mr. Jerome who was a professor at the school of the Fine arts... always told me to keep it. And I was also told that I was not of our century' ... The letter is signed Henri Rousseau, artist-painter street Perrel 2 Bis. The Dream was painted in 1910, the woman represented is inspired by Yadwgha, a Polish woman with whom he was in love. When Rousseau painted this canvas, Freud launched his work on dreams. It was on a sofa similar to that of the Douanier Rousseau that the psychoanalysis sessions were held. The Douanier Rousseau at the origin of psychoanalysis without knowing it? The surrealists would answer in the affirmative. Attached is an autograph note in ink written by the janitor of the rue Perrel after the death of the Douanier Rousseau on September 2, 1910, the year of his famous painting Le Rêve. H. Rousseau died insolvent at the Necker Hospital, he did not even leave enough money to pay the funeral expenses. Le Rêve is in New York at the Museum of Modern Art. AUTOGRAPH LETTER to 'Dear Sir', SIGNED. Paris, 1 April 1910, 3pp. ink on paper, some tears and folds, 12mo. Extremely rare and important letter from Douanier Rousseau explaining his famous painting Le Rêve depicting a naked woman on a sofa in the jungle. ...'I am replying to this kind letter in order to explain the reason for the said sofa in question. This woman asleep on this sofa dreams that she is transported to this forest hearing sounds of the charmer's instrument'... ...'And if I kept a naivety, it is because Mr. Jerome who was professor at the school of the Fine arts... always told me to preserve it. And I was also told that I was not of our century'... The letter is signed Henri Rousseau, artist-painter Rue Perrel 2 Bis. Le Rêve was painted in 1910, the woman depicted is inspired by Yadwgha, a Polish woman the artist was in love with. When Rousseau painted this canvas, Freud was working on the dream. It was on a sofa similar to that of the Douanier Rousseau that the psychoanalytic sessions were held. Is Douanier Rousseau at the origin of psychoanalysis without knowing it? The surrealists would answer positively. We attach an autograph note by the janitor of the rue Perrel after the death of the Douanier Rousseau on September 2, 1910, the year of his famous painting, Le Rêve H. Rousseau died insolvent at the Necker Hospital, he did not even leave enough money to pay the funeral expenses. "Le Rêve" is exhibited at the MoMA, New York. Footnotes: Provenance Private collection, France. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com