Letter from Nicolas de Staël, Paris, to Paul Rosenberg, 1954 January 27? : autograph manuscript signed.

Acknowledging receipt of Rosenberg's letter of 1-22-1954 and apologizing for the sawdust [in the shipment of his paintings]. He says that Lenars hasn't changed shippers for 10 years, and his shipper is a real brute. He says that Braque often says that besides painters and art dealers, no one else knows how to handle paintings in France. De Staël hopes that enough paintings will remain to show clearly what's going on inside him. He thanks him for sending back some works and says that he will retouch them later. He is touched that Rosenberg has understood that if they are not retouched all at once, the retouching will not be successful. Therefore, they can't be entrusted to an art restorer. He asks Rosenberg how and when he will pay for the last set of paintings he sent him. He should reduce the amount for the paintings that need to be retouched or that he doesn't like. He'll be glad to receive them in Paris. He says that it would be simpler for both of them if, once the paintings have been hung, Rosenberg looks at the entire group and sends him back as quickly as possible those he doesn't think work. And he shouldn't forget the exact dates for his (Rosenberg's) income tax. De Staël says that in each shipment there are major works that Rosenberg should try to exhibit with distinction.