André BRETON. Autograph manuscript, [1957] ; 1 oblong page i - Lot 209

Lot n° 209
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800 - 1000 EUR
André BRETON. Autograph manuscript, [1957] ; 1 oblong page i - Lot 209
André BRETON. Autograph manuscript, [1957] ; 1 oblong page in-8 with erasures and corrections. Draft of a paragraph from the Two Surrealist Surveys, a text that appeared in No. 2 of the quarterly review Le Surréalisme, même (Spring 1957), announcing surveys on a painting by Gabriel Max and an anonymous painting. "The current vogue for so-called "non-figurative" painting fortunately does not exempt us from scrutinizing the very "extra-pictorial" intentions that may have animated such a master of the past: a Jerome Bosch, a Giorgione, a Goya. There is nothing to prevent this curiosity from being extended to lesser-known artists whenever the opportunity arises. We present opposite a painting that André Breton tells us she "arrested" several weeks ago, at the "Vernaison" market in St Ouen and since then to the point that he has had to come back and examine it several times. Information taken (just refer to the Larousse in seven volumes), the author of this undated work, Gabriel Max born in Prague in 1840 (died, we believe, in 1915) enjoyed evoking horrible subjects or striking the imagination with singularity and strangeness. In Paris, it was once widespread to reproduce his "Face of Christ on the Shroud of St. Veronica", which seems to open the eyes when one looks at it for a while (1874) . "From sentimental mysticism, Max later moved on to spiritualism, hypnotism and diabolical daydreams". The fiftieth anniversary of the death of the author of Là-bas [Huysmans] (whose prestige among the Surrealists is well known) would be enough to bring Gabriel Max out of the shadows and to call for a discussion of this enigmatic work"... Breton crossed out his last sentence, which names a poetess friend: "It has just been acquired by Mrs. Joyce Mansour".
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