Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1901 - 1926

This carte postale, addressed to the artist Philip Zilcken, is a work on paper made sometime around the turn of the century by the Italian art critic, Vittorio Pica. It is covered with the gestures of writing and the marks of bureaucracy. The postmarks indicate that the artist's hand has met with the state's hand, the personal with the public. I love the idea of someone sending this to another artist, like throwing a stone in a pond, rippling out to other artists. I wonder if Zilcken knew Pica or whether they were simply fellow travelers through the art world. Maybe they were close friends, or perhaps even rivals exchanging correspondence. I'm drawn to the way it embodies the messy dialogue between artists—how they communicate, argue, and inspire one another across time. There's something so evocative about this simple card, a reminder that art is never created in a vacuum but emerges from a web of conversations and relationships. And it's a reminder that so much in art remains a mystery.