Set of 9 letters from the concrete architect, Auguste Perret. 1923-1925.

Auguste Perret (1874.1954)

Set of 9 autograph letters signed to his colleague Alfred Rome architect.  

Seventeen pages in-8 °-Envored header papers and envelopes.

Between July 1923 and November 1925.

“I saw Bourdelle yesterday at the Salon des Tuileries. »»

Interesting and friendly correspondence between two colleagues architects. Perret has just built the first reinforced concrete tower built in the world, in Grenoble, in the city of its correspondent and is overwhelmed by the work in the ephemeral theater of the Paris exhibition. Nevertheless, he brings to his colleague his faithful support in the Grenoble dispute which opposes this one to Pierre-André Farcy [Curator of the City Museum], even going so far as to request the alliance and the influence of their sculptor Antoine Bourdelle.

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I. July 2, 1923: "My dear colleague, heard - on Thursday for lunch - I will be at the Dauphiné tavern at 11:30 am. »»

II. July 14, 1923: “Here I am late dear friend to thank you once again for your Cordiale reception. Grenoble that I knew had taken now for me the charming figure that the inhabitants know how to give him. Please present my tributes to Mrs. Rome, your friendships to your children and believe me cordially to you. Aug. Perret. Again all my compliments for your beautiful Marval, Flandrin collection. »»

III. February 27, 1925: “Dear colleague and friend, well received your telegram and your letter. Note that the frames must have multiple dimensions or under multiple wide angle in long or large. Your frame would therefore be 0.375 high x 1.10 wide. We would prefer the view taken photographically by an plane with any drawing. You will have about 100F payable. The date: April 15. Regards to you. Aug. Perret. I think I go to Grenoble in the 1st ^days of March. »»

IV. May 12, 1925: “Dear friend, I understand your impatience and I hasten to answer your letter. I saw Bourdelle on Saturday evening & I told her how much I found you moved your wife and you by the infamies of Mr. Farcy [Pierre-André Farcy, known as Andry-Farcy, curator of the Grenoble museum]-he did not tell me to write to you, but his wife arriving I repeated what I had just said & she spontaneously promised me. I will see him again before the end of the week & will not let go. Thank you for your good news and appreciations of our fort… ”

V. May 14, 1925: “Dear friend, I saw Bourdelle yesterday at the Tuileries Salon in preparation. Nothing to do with the circumstances but his wife arrived & I attacked her- she told me that Bourdelle had started a long letter for you but that he did not come out of it and that he quickly abandoned her promising to start again immediately and to be brief [Bourdelle has sent a letter of support to Rome, in his conflict against Andry-Farcy, dated May 10, 1925]. Ms. Bourdelle told me that by waiting she would write to Mrs. Rome. I propose to go to Grenoble for the 21st, by the train, unless the opening of the theater [the ephemeral theater of the Paris exhibition of which Perret was responsible] being delayed I have time to go there by car. While waiting for the next pleasure to see you, receive, with my best friendships for your family, the expression of my sympathetically cordial feelings. Aug. Perret. »»

VI. May 17, 1925: "Dear friend, Madame Bourdelle whom I saw yesterday before the opening of the Tuileries told me that her husband had written you & that the letter was gone the same morning (yesterday Saturday). Have you received it? Does it give you satisfaction? [Indeed, Bourdelle has sent a letter of support to Rome, in his conflict against Andry-Farcy, on May 10, 1925. Rome replied, emotional of his support]. This sacred theater prevents me from quietly going to Grenoble [the ephemeral theater of the Paris exhibition of which Perret was responsible]. I will have to spend two nights on the railway. See you soon and cordially to you. Friendly tributes. Aug. Perret. »»

VII. June 26, 1925: “Dear friend, well received your letter. Bourdelle had already told me about the Farcy candidacy - during a conversation that I had last night at a dinner at H. de Rothschild with one of the conservatives of the Louvre, I understood that there were many people before him but act quickly all the same - there are always possible surprises. Tributes and friendships in yours and you. Aug. Perret. Will you probably come to see the exhibition? When ? »»

VIII. July 21, 1925: “Dear friend, we decided for the Grand Som. It is more expensive but it is better what I wanted as an altitude (900m). We will be there on August 5 probably until the 25th I am told that the exhibition of Grenoble Languits a little -would it be the reason why we do not have to even have an answer from this good M. Menly to whom we ask for money or in any case the reimbursement of our surety? I hope your son is completely restored. Tributes - Friendships & Cordially to you. Aug. Perret. »»

IX. November 26, 1925: "Dear friend, well received your letter and Madame Rome's card with the cut on the citizen Farcy. I dined eight days ago at the publisher Morancé with Mr. Henri Verne Director of national museums (he has just been appointed in place of D'Estournelles de Constant). I told him about the guy in question & I assure you that he now knows what to expect. You tell me that the Marquise de la Tour is intact [the Perret Tower], but could you know if the poor Bougre fell on it? This interests us from a calculation point of view. Figural tributes to everyone and cordially to you. Aug. Perret. »»

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We join a four-page letter from Mrs. Perret to Madame Rome, dated July 7, 1925. Before soliciting her correspondent for Dauphinois storage places, Ms. Peret confirms her support for the Rome in the conflict between Pierre-André Farcy: "... As for the too famous Farcy, I hope that you have taken over and that this dangerous polichinelle will soon be reduced. You know isn't we all my heart with you… ”

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The Perret Frères company was one of the largest architectural agencies of the first half of the 20th century, of international notoriety. The Perret brothers (Auguste, Gustave and Claude) continued the search for new classicism, based on the use of reinforced concrete of which Auguste was the main French theorist. He was also a professor and workshop manager at the School of Fine Arts and first president of the Order of Architects in 1941.

Among their many achievements in France and abroad are villas, mansions, reports, residences and artist workshops, industrial and administrative buildings, theaters, museums, chapels, churches ... and especially reconstruction, after the Second World War, between 1945 and 1960, of the City of Le Havre, registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005.