A Letter to Picasso

This open letter to Picasso originally appeared in the June,
1956 issue of Preuves and is published with permission of
both its author and the editors.

This letter to you, Picasso, is not a personal letter. You are a genius, hence a part of our human commonwealth in the same way as beautiful structures of past ages, the paintings of the Louvre, or the sound of music transmitted through the centuries. That you are alive among us is only an accident thanks to your fine constitution and the resistance of your arteries which have allowed you to reach a venerable age. It was also a providential accident that you did not belong to one of those racial or national groups destined to be destroyed, along with their potential Picassos.

Your achievement has transformed you into a symbol, but your preference for white or red wine, or for rare or well-done meat will quickly be forgotten. Nonetheless, you share our passions and our errors. Like ...