Brief aan Françoise W.M. Bonger Possibly 1965 - 1969

This letter, dated September 16, 1965, was written by Jean Selz, in Paris. It’s typed, except for the signature, a lovely, loopy “Jean Selz” in blue ink. What strikes me is the texture of the paper, it looks thin, almost translucent, like he's conscious about the cost of the paper and the ink. Selz is writing to Madame Bonger to document the works of Odilon Redon that she owns. There’s something touching about this handwritten request amidst the formality of the typed letter. It’s like the art seeping into the bureaucratic, a personal touch cutting through the professional. This reminds me of the urgency in Hilma af Klint's work, where there is a burning need to document and organize a vast body of work. Both artists were obsessed with cataloging, organizing and documenting their practices. This act of archiving and sharing, it's such a human thing, isn't it? It's how art keeps talking to itself, across time.