Letter to J. Blankfard Martenet with a Drawing of People Sitting on Benches in a Park - Image 1

Matsumi Kanemitsu

Letter to J. Blankfard Martenet with a Drawing of People Sitting on Benches in a Park

1952

Letter to J. Blankfard Martenet with a Drawing of People Sitting on Benches in a Park — thumbnail 2

Scroll

Matsumi Kanemitsu

Letter to J. Blankfard Martenet with a Drawing of People Sitting on Benches in a Park

Matsumi Kanemitsu

Letter to J. Blankfard Martenet with a Drawing of People Sitting on Benches in a Park

1952

Physical Qualities Pen and brush and black ink and wash on paper, Sheet: 223 × 104 mm. (8 3/4 × 4 1/8 in.)

Credit Line Bequest of J. Blankfard Martenet

Object Number 2012.711.110

Along with a small panel painting and a miniature pen drawing, this case contains examples of correspondence Kanemitsu sent to Martenet upon his move to New York City. Snippets of text convey seasonal greetings while drawings of real and imagined subjects share insights into Kanemitsu’s life and mind in his new surroundings.

Leslie Cozzi, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Matsumi Kanemitsu: Figure and Fantasy," May 14 - October 8, 2023.

Inscribed: (letter) Recto: across top (above drawing), in black ink: "May 14 1952 / Dear Marty, / This is just note to let you know that / Im O.K. and working very hard. doing better / drawing + printing. I just come back / from Kuniyoshi studio so before I start / to painting I let you know TA-KE / find the girl dog friend He is love sick/ Helen is working office. nite she paints/ I'm going to send 4 drawings to the arts institute of Chicago (Chicago) for INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION; across bottom (below drawing), in black ink: "oF CONTEMPORARY DRAWINGS SHOW, I hope to / getting. How is everything with you? Love Matsumi. / P.S. / is Zora Metyler had baby yet? I / haven't hear from Karl for so-long"; Verso: none

Markings: (envelope): Recto: upper right, post office stamp in black ink: "New York 7, N.Y. 1952 / May 14 / 9:30 PM; upper right, post office stamp in black ink: "IN THE SPIRIT OF PAUL REVE[RE]"; Verso: none (letter): None

Artist

Matsumi Kanemitsu

born Odgen, UT 1922; died Los Angeles, CA 1992

Meet Matsumi Kanemitsu

Explore the Collection Further

BY SAME ARTIST

PRINTS, DRAWINGS & PHOTOGRAPHS

Matsumi Kanemitsu

Woman Holding Up Her Head

1950

Edouard Frère

Sitting Room for Old People at the Salpétrière, Paris

1863

Matsumi Kanemitsu

Happy Season

1952

Aaron Sopher

Studies of People at the Park

n.d.

Matsumi Kanemitsu

Group of People in Various Poses

1952

Aaron Sopher

Woman Standing, People Sitting (recto); Street Scene (verso)

n.d.

Matsumi Kanemitsu

The Eye

1952

Matsumi Kanemitsu

Home Sweet Home

1954

Honoré Daumier

Yes sir, in exchange for a small premium with our insurance, you can be assured for death....for death in a proper gentlemanly manner. When you go off in a fine hearse, very comfortable, to be mourned by the poor people of the district, and leaving an inconsolable widow in golden letters on your grave.... - And if you don't keep your promises? - Then you can still give us a receipt and sue us before a tribunal.

1838

Matsumi Kanemitsu

Man and Woman in Front of a Fence

1951

Honoré Daumier

A visit to the Library. - Listen woman... they have told us not to disturb the people sitting here, because they are working. - What do you mean working... they are just feigning to be working... in reality they aren't moving at all! --- Visitors from the province who insist on overlooking Paris from the top of the July Column, convinced that the revolution of 1830 was only made in order to have a pretext to build an observatory on the Place de la Bastille.

1853