Louis-Ferdinand CÉLINE. L.A.S. "LF Céline", [Korsør] July 3 [1950], to his friend Paul Marteau in Neuilly; 2pages in-fol., envelope. Souvenir from his mother. He has returned to Korsør. "I find myself thinking that my mother is no longer to be pitied. I have felt an excruciating sorrow - but there is almost selfishness in wanting to preserve loved ones in a world so atrociously wicked. Without effect without literature without philosophy - after a certain age of lucidity - death is much better than life. Joining our dead is tempting, I assure you"... Attached is a l.a.s. from Thorwald Mikkelsen to Paul Marteau, June 15, 1949, thanking him for his book on Le Tarot de Marseille, and giving news of Céline.

Composed of several subsidiaries, the Drouot Group is a major player in the art market. Hôtel Drouot, located in the heart of Paris, has been the world's largest public auction center since 1852. 15 salerooms are available to more than 70 auction houses. The emulation generated by an annual offer of 230,000 artworks from 21 major specialities - from Antiquity to street art - attracts some 3,000 visitors every day. The Group's digital platform, Drouot.com, offers digital sales - Live auctions (live broadcasting and participation in auctions), Online-only auctions (dematerialised auctions) and Buy Now sales (sales of lots at fixed prices). Nearly 2 million items are offered annually by 600 auction houses. Auction news is reported every week in La Gazette Drouot, the leading weekly magazine for the art market and culture published by Auctionspress.