A collection of 9 letters from painters and artists, solicited for the EROS exhibition, addressed to André Breton in 1959.
Jean SCHUSTER, Clovis TROUILLE , Max Walter SVANBERG, Adrien DAX and Hannah HÖCH responded to Breton's proposal to come and exhibit their works in Paris.
2.500€
[André BRETON] – The International Surrealist Exhibition, EROS.
A set of 9 letters (seven LAS and two LS) from painters and artists, solicited for the EROS exhibition, addressed to André Breton in 1959.
The International Surrealist Exhibition, EROS, organized by André Breton and Marcel Duchamp at the Daniel Cordier gallery from December 15, 1959, has remained famous.
Jean SCHUSTER, Clovis TROUILLE , Max Walter SVANBERG, Adrien DAX and Hannah HÖCH responded, often with enthusiasm, to Breton's proposal to come and exhibit their works in Paris.
All the letters are addressed to André Breton, with the exception of the two letters from Doumayrou addressed to Adrien Dax.
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Jean SCHUSTER. Autograph letter signed. Paris, July 27, 1959. 2 pp. quarto on Exhibition letterhead.
He lists the people André Breton needs to contact and expresses his concern: “This exhibition seems to be off to a terrible start with the José Pierre debacle. Shouldn't the Benoîts be entrusted with essential tasks when the new season begins? They alone seem to possess enough dynamism, ideas, and sense of collective purpose to effectively support you.” Then he explains the meaning of the text he is writing for the catalogue: “In any case, I would like to show that the only correct attitude is the passionate one because its essence is a return to Principles, whereas other attitudes are a falsification or dogmatization of Principles. Furthermore: the function of poetry, ‘a poetry, if need be, without poems,’ is to establish all the criteria of life, including those of social life (this is how I now understand Lautréamont’s motto).”
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Clovis TROUILLE . Autograph letter signed. Paris, October 4, 1959. 1 p. in-4, envelope preserved.
Clovis Trouille is proposing two paintings: The Red Poet and Dohnancé and his Ghosts of Lust. But this proposal comes after a reminder of his disagreements with several members of the Surrealist group, notably: “I have to complain first of all about Marcel Jean who published in “Les Lettres nouvelles” a denigrating article about my painting, illustrated by the bad draftsman Maurice Henry.”
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Max Walter SVANBERG. 1 autograph letter signed in Swedish and 2 typed letters signed in French. Malmö, August 12 – September 2, 1959. 1 1/2 pp. in-4 autograph and 2 pp. typed, envelopes preserved.
Very interesting letters: on August 12, Svanberg accepted the invitation while emphasizing his distaste for groups. “I must say that all kinds of groups, from the sad experiences I have had with them, are for me associated with disgust and pain, and I hope, dear friend, that you, who have my complete admiration, will understand me when I say that I do not wish to be counted as a member of an organized group. Indeed, Surrealism is the only art capable of arousing my sympathy, and that is why I can gladly accept your invitation (then among the independent artists mentioned in your program, who are not organized but in any case creators who are in reality Surrealists).”
The second letter, which is both handwritten – in Swedish – and typed – in French – written after receiving Breton's reply, returns to his desire not to be a card-carrying member, a desire Breton undoubtedly criticized: “It naturally hurts me that you took my opinion on this matter, based on bad experiences, so harshly.” But he reiterates his desire to exhibit if “you, dear friend, and my other Surrealist friends wish it.”
Above, he explains: “I must clearly state my position against abstract-geometric tabudogmatism from Mondrian to the Swedish concretists and neo-plastics of our time.”
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Adrien DAX. Autograph letter signed. Toulouse, September 16, 1959. 2 pp. quarto. With: Guy DOUMAYROU. 2 autograph letters signed addressed to Adrien Dax. [August 27] - September 15, 1959. 1 1/2 pp. oblong duodecimo and 2 pp. quarto, envelopes preserved.
Adrien Dax forwarded to André Breton two letters he had received from Guy Doumayrou, proposing an architectural project for the Cordier Gallery exhibition, outlining its rationale. Dax supported the project, notably because “the architecture appears less determined by aesthetic or utilitarian considerations than by the desire to satisfy, through it, certain playful needs.” The project was reproduced in the 1959 exhibition catalogue with two pages of explanations by Doumayrou (pp. 92-94).
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Hannah Höch . Autograph letter signed, in German. Berlin, September 5, 1959. 1 p. folio.
Thanking André Breton for his interest in her work, Hanna Höch readily agreed to participate in the exhibition. She offered Breton a watercolor and an oil painting entitled The Bride.