Jean COCTEAU (1889-1963) - Lot 62

Jean COCTEAU (1889-1963) 2 L.A.S., the first with 2 drawings, August 27-September 2, 1962; 2pages oblong in-4, and 1page in-8 on Santo-Sospir letterhead. About Hans-Werner Henze's ballet Le Fils de l'air, with libretto by Cocteau. August 27. "It's up to you to play and do me a favor. I'd like to have your collaboration for the mimodrama Le Fils de l'air that we're preparing with Henze (Germany's greatest musical genius) to open the Munich opera house. The set will be painted, except for the background, which will be cut out. This background is to represent ruined houses (photographically) with holes and empty windows that will allow a sulphur-yellow sky to be seen through. The top should be very uneven and cut as follows. [ink sketch] The rest will be the platforms and on the left I'll need a photographed caravan with a small window, which I'll take care of mounting on wheels, as it leaves at the end dragged by gypsies who put on white horse masks like the black ones in our film. You can make a montage, which I'll then enlarge to the size of the scene, and perhaps I'll also need to add pendants on the right and left, also in photographed mines. [...] Doudou will be the painter and I've made the costumes"... On verso, large annotated drawing of the set. September 2nd. "I never tire of admiring your model, which is a marvel. My only fear is that I'll have to raise the opening at the back too much, which would raise the pediment that crowns it. But what can I do? Because I'm obliged to put a small platform there, and it risks further diminishing this sort of theater cut into the photographs. But all these little difficulties can be overcome, and what remains is the beauty, the perfect intelligence of the whole. Thank you"... CCC p. 79-81. Lots 24 to 68 are sold by provisional auction with the option of reunion.