Surrealism for Sale ...

[Dave Monroe]

The New York Times
Tuesday, December 17, 2002
Surrealism for Sale, Straight From the Source
By ALAN RIDING

PARIS, Dec. 16 — In photographs André Breton is rarely
seen smiling. As the founder and undisputed leader of
the Surrealist movement, he evidently took himself
seriously. Between the 1920's and 1950's he alone
defined the rules of Surrealism and tolerated no
challenge to his authority. He encouraged rebellion
against prevailing artistic and social norms, but
artists and poets who fell out of his favor were
summarily expelled from the movement.

On the other hand, he must have had loads of charisma.

Over the years, in addition to the artworks he bought,
notably primitive sculptures from Oceania, hundreds of
paintings, drawings, photographs and books were given
to him by friends, followers and little-known artists
seeking his blessing. When Breton died at 70 on Sept.
28, 1966, his small apartment at 42 Rue Fontaine in
the Pigalle district of Paris was a veritable treasure
trove. He had lived there since 1922. His heirs — his
widow, Elisa, and his daughter from an earlier
relationship, Aube — decided to touch nothing. "My
stepmother lived there, and it was her family
environment," Aube Breton Elléouët, 67, explained.
"For 35 years we looked for an answer to what could be
done with this collection. My father had never
expressed himself on the subject."

Now, two years after Elisa Breton's death, with the
French government unwilling to buy the collection, the
largest single record of the Surrealist movement is to
be sold next spring at the Hôtel Drouot-Richelieu,
where Paris auctions are held. One measure of the size
of the sale is that the auction house, CalmelsCohen,
plans at least six catalogs to cover the 5,300 lots.
The auction, from April 1 to 18, is expected to raise
$30 million to $40 million.

[...]

To compensate for the inevitable dispersal of the
collection, the entire contents of 42 Rue Fontaine
have been recorded digitally and will be made
available through a CD-ROM. "Everything," explains a
news release by Jean-Michel Ollé and Jean-Pierre
Sakoun, who prepared the database. "Paintings,
objects, photos, manuscripts, books. Everything from
the least important to the most, the historic and the
everyday, the private and the public."

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/17/arts/design/17BRET.html



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