John Sloan ALS Re: Favorite Old Master Artist Rembrandt: "It pays (dealers) for an artist to die!"

A 1p autograph letter signed by John Sloan (1871-1951), the celebrated Ashcan School artist, as "John Sloan" near center right. Written on December 31, 1941 on a single leaf of Hotel Chelsea stationery with "Hotel Chelsea / New York / West Twenty Third Street / At Seventh Avenue / Under Knott Management" letterhead. Expected paper folds and a minor wrinkle in the upper left corner, else near fine. 6" x 9.5." Provenance: Ex-Noel Goldblatt (ca. 1926-2003) of the famous Goldblatt's Department Store, to a prominent Los Angeles, California collector.

John Sloan wrote this letter to one Robert A. Wilson of Baltimore, Maryland, who had most likely written the artist to inquire about the former's favorite Old Master. Sloan wrote in part: "I cast my vote for Rembrandt as my favorite among old masters. He died in poverty, doing the best work of his life time - Votes were few for him then, now he is in the lead - It pays (dealers) for an artist to die!"

Sloan had worked as a cashier in a Philadelphia bookstore and print shop as a teenager in the late 1880s. The job granted Sloan the opportunity to study and copy the store's inventory of art prints; apparently Sloan made multiple pen and ink studies after Albrecht Dürer and Rembrandt during this time, and it was perhaps then that his admiration for Rembrandt began.

John Sloan's etchings of domestic and street life in turn-of-the-century New York City made him one of the figureheads of the Ashcan School of American art. These artists depicted quotidian life in all of its grittiness--from the glorious to the grotesque (think, ashcan)--and celebrated its diversity of experience.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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