Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) - photo 1
Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) - photo 2
Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) - photo 3

Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951)

Lot 311
15.12.2023 11:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Starting price
£ 100
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 1109112
Lot 311 | Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951)
Estimate value
£ 4 000 – 6 000
Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951)
Autograph letter signed (‘Ludwig’) to ‘Gretl’ [Margarete Wittgenstein], 76 Storeys Way, Cambridge, 17 April 1951
In German. 3 pages, 200 x 126mm, on ruled notepaper, filing holes at head. Provenance: Sotheby's, 18 & 19 May 1989, lot 359.

Wittgenstein’s final letter: writing just 12 days before his death, he puts off a visit from his sister, Gretl, for fear that they might hurt one another, suggesting they might meet at a later date. ‘I would like to think about it further. You are afraid of injury and I of pointless excitement [...] Nobody annoys others because we want to annoy them. Both of us would prefer the meeting to be comfortable, rather than uncomfortable. For now, it seems to me that if you are afraid of being hurt, we should not meet one another’. He does, however, ask his sister to keep him informed of her plans, in case a meeting should be possible later on.

On his return to England from America at the end of 1949, Wittgenstein was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He flew to Vienna for Christmas, concealing his illness, to be with his sister Hermine, who was now dying. After her death, he returned to England in March 1950, where he continued to work on epistemology and on the subject of colour; in October he travelled for the last time to Norway with his friend Ben Richards, but by January 1951 his health was declining rapidly. His doctor was Edward Bevan at Cambridge, who, knowing of Wittgenstein's horror of dying in hospital, invited him to stay with his family for his last days. He died on 29 April 1951 in Dr Bevan's home at 76 Storeys Way, Cambridge. His last words before he lost consciousness were 'Tell them I've had a wonderful life’.
Place of origin:Austria, England
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
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