Letter from Nicolas de Staël, Cavaillon, to Paul Rosenberg, 1953 December 1 : autograph manuscript signed.

Thanking him for his letters of November 24 and 27. In response to the one from the 27th, he says that he never proposed the Musiciens (The Musicians) to Rosenberg as long as it was in in his studio, since the agreement between them was limited to paintings of maximum size 80. He had even insisted that the painting [The Musicians] was too large and difficult. Having said this, he adds that Duncan Philipps has always had, and always will have, a well-deserved reputation for paying for what he purchases, and Rosenberg knows this. Philipps will never stop buying paintings whatever their price because he has a true passion for them. In the long run, this fact is of no consequence to either Rosenberg or de Staël because Philipps will always purchase the works that are the most difficult to sell, since he truly has good taste. And de Staël thinks that Rosenberg is not asking him [de Staël] for paintings that are easy to sell--something that would be incomprehensible to de Staël. As for Rosenberg's letter of November 24, de Staël says he'll do whatever he can to furnish Rosenberg with works to make a good exhibition, but he can't have his works exhibited without the large ones (size 60 and 80). He says that Rosenberg can do as he wishes, but de Staël will send him what he thinks is necessary for an exhibition. He adds that it is not he who has set the prices but rather Rosenberg. He thanks Rosenberg for the payments Rosenberg's daughter made to de Staël's wife. If Rosenberg would like receipts, he'll be glad to send them to him. De Staël says that the important thing for him is not the size of the paintings but the quality, but it sometimes happens, as with all artists, that he paints so-so canvases in large dimensions. That's what he would like to avoid. Rosenberg will receive smaller paintings (size 20 or 25) in February. In 2 weeks, he'll be ready to send 8-10 paintings, if all goes well. If Rosenberg is in a hurry, he should have Lenars act more quickly.