Schetsboek met 39 bladen met schetsen van o.a. landschappen en (zelf-) portretten, gedateerd '70, opgetekend tijdens een verblijf op het Italiaanse eiland Ponza. Hierbij een fotoalbum blad met vier fotoprints uit de collectie van Tom Lenders en de publicatie: 'A document made by Paul Thek and Edwin Klein', Stedelijk Museum 1969.

A drawing book by Paul Thek

From the personal collection of his friend Tom Lenders (1942-2019) we are offering a drawing book by Paul Thek (1933-1988). Drawn in October 1970 by Paul Thek, on his favorite island Ponza before the Italian coast between Rome and Napels. (lot 5000)

Tom Lenders and Paul Thek met in Amsterdam in 1968 when Paul Thek was staying in one of the studios of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam on the Prinseneiland, as an artist in residence, in preparation of the famous exhibition in 1969 in the Stedelijk Museum, titeled 'The Procession / The Artist's Co-op’. During his stay they became close friends and this let to the collaboration of Tom Lenders as one of the photographers for the publication 'A document made by Paul Thek and Edwin Klein', Stedelijk Museum 1969. A collaboration of Paul Thek, Edwin Klein and with photos of five artists. This catalogue is included in the sale of this album.

The drawing book is a time document of a time spend on the Italian island Ponza, where he had his own studio. Possibly they spend this time together.

The island Ponza was a refuge for Paul Thek, a place he loved and visited frequently. Ponza was a creative and spiritual heaven for him. In a letter in 1979 to Frans Deckwitz, a Dutch artist friend, he wrote that he would prefer to spend the rest of his life on Ponza and die there. There are several fine-drawn scenes where his love for the beauty of this island can clearly be seen, within a total of 20 drawings with scenic portraits of the island. There are several fine drawings of animals, corpi, chickens and of a cat. And there are some drawings that are less clear, more poetic and where he possibly melded the spiritual with the philosophical and some humor. The ‘l’ultima ena’, the ‘last supper’ drawing of a plate with food and ‘the happy dragon burning’ a drawing of a burning fire and a circle in a landscape, with on the same page a hippo on a log of wood. Others are more open for interpretation.

What makes the current album so special are the seven self-portraits he made on this stay on Ponza with two exquisitely executed profile portraits. And the fact he gave this drawing book a title. On the cover of the book is the handwritten title : E.M. Cioran La Tentation D’Exister, referring to the 1956 publication by Cioran. An essay in which Cioran regards reflections on mystical experiences as one of the highest achievements for mankind. The fact that Paul Thek has given this drawing book this title adds another layer to it.

Also included in this lot are three photoprints from a private album from Tom Lenders, all made during Christmas of 1970, most probably in the studio of Paul Thek, or either at the place of Tom Lenders. There are two photo’s portraits of Paul Thek and one portrait of Tom Lenders, made by Paul Thek The prints are not in a very good condition.

[3]