Finding aid for the André Breton drafts of publications and letters
Descriptive Summary
Title: André Breton drafts of publications and letters
Date (inclusive): 1948-1965
Number: 2022.M.32
Creator/Collector:
Breton, André,
1896-1966
Physical Description:
0.3 Linear Feet
69 sheets (70 pages)
Repository:
The Getty Research Institute
Special Collections
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles 90049-1688
Business Number: (310) 440-7390
Fax Number: (310) 440-7780
reference@getty.edu
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/askref
(310) 440-7390
Abstract: The archive consists of 37 drafts of
publications and letters dating from 1948 after Breton had returned to France from his exile
in the United States to 1965, several months before his death. The draft writings, primarily
texts for exhibition catalogs and exhibition reviews, document his intense activity to
promote artists in the last two decades of his life.
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Language: Collection material is in
French
Biographical / Historical
French writer André Breton (1896-1966) was the main founder, theorist, and promoter of
surrealism. Born in Tinchebray in Normandy, Breton first studied medicine and during World
War I was stationed in psychiatric wards at several hospitals. From this period dates his
study of psychiatry and his discovery of Freud's theories on the unconscious and dreams,
which would later be fundamental to his development of surrealism. He corresponded with
Guillaume Apollinaire, who later introduced him to many of his collaborators, became friends
with Paul Éluard, and began collecting artworks, such as in 1913 an object from Easter
Island, in 1918 a drawing by Amedeo Modigliani, in 1920 a painting by André Derain and in
1921
Tête by Pablo Picasso. He later actively collected objects from Africa
and Oceania.
In 1919, along with Louis Aragon and Philippe Soupault, Breton created the journal
Littérature which initially supported Dada and the activities of
Tristan Tzara. From 1920 dates the publication
Les Champs
magnétiques
(Magnetic Fields) written with Soupault and which included examples of
the techniques of automatism, in which the writer suppresses conscious control. In 1921,
Breton married Simone Kahn, a writer, artist, art patron, collector and the following year
moved with Kahn at 44, rue Fontaine in Paris. In 1924, Breton published
Le Manifeste du surréalisme, which marked the official launch of
the surrealist movement and further exposed his doctrine on "pure psychic automatism."
Breton was instrumental to the founding of the Bureau of Surrealist Research and a group
gathered around him: Philippe Soupault, Louis Aragon, Paul Éluard, René Crevel, Michel
Leiris, Benjamin Péret, Antonin Artaud, and Robert Desnos. Several painters were associated
with the group and Breton expanded his doctrine on surrealism to painting in 1928 in
Le Surréalisme et la peinture, which he published and revised
several times.
From 1927 to 1935, Breton was a member of the French Communist Party. He was a fervent
critic of Stalinism, which eventually contributed to his leaving the political party, but he
remained committed to Marxism. This was particularly evident when in 1938 he accepted a
mission from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to give a series of conferences in
Mexico where he met Diego Rivera and Leon Trotsky and wrote the manifesto
Pour un art révolutionnaire indépendent (For an Independent
Revolutionary Art) with Trotsky.
After the breakout of World War II, Breton moved with Jacqueline Lamba, his second wife and
a painter, and their daughter, Aube, to the south of France before fleeing in 1941 to the
United States. There he was involved in numerous publications and exhibitions and traveled
to Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona with Elisa Bindhoff Enet (Claro), his third
wife, a pianist and artist from Chile. Their visit of Hopi and Zuni pueblos during this trip
had a profound impact on them.
In 1946, Breton returned with Elisa to Paris, where he continued to be involved in numerous
exhibitions and political actions. In 1947, he organized with Marcel Duchamp, Benjamin
Péret, Victor Brauner and Henry Miller the exhibition
Le surréalisme
en 1947 : Exposition internationale du surréalisme
at the Galerie Maeght, which
featured artists from different countries, such as the Brazilian sculptor Maria Martins, the
Algerian painter Baya Mahieddine, the Scottish painter Scottie Wilson, the Haitian painter
Hector Hypolite and the Canadian painter and sculptor Jean-Paul Riopelle. During the last
two decades of his life, Breton wrote extensively on art and fostered until his death in
1966 a second group of surrealists through exhibitions and publications.
Sources consulted:
"André Breton" at https://www.andrebreton.fr.
Béhar, Henri. "André Breton" in Oxford Art Online (www.oxfordartonline.com).
Breton, André.
Œuvres complètes. IV. Écrits sur l'art et autres
textes
. Édition de Marguerite Bonnet. Édition publiée sous la direction
d'Étienne-Alain Hubert avec la collaboration de Philippe Bernier et Marie-Claire Dumas.
Paris: Collection Bibliothèque de la Pléiade (no. 544), Gallimard, 2008.
Chilvers, Ian. "André Breton" and "Surrealism" in
Dictionary of 20th
Century Art
. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1998.
Administrative Information
Access
Open for use by qualified researchers.
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
André Breton drafts of publications and letters, 1948-1965, The Getty Research Institute,
Los Angeles, Accession no. 2022.M.32.
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2022m32
Processing Information
Karen Meyer-Roux processed the archive and wrote this finding aid in August 2022.
Scope and Content of Collection
The archive consists of 37 drafts of publications and letters dating from 1948 after Breton
had returned to France from his exile in the United States to 1965, several months before
his death. The draft writings, primarily texts for exhibition catalogs and exhibition
reviews, document his intense activity to promote painters and to a lesser degree sculptors
and printmakers in the last two decades of his life. Several manuscripts refer to
exhibitions that were held at the art gallery À l'étoile scellée, founded in 1952 (11, rue
du Près-aux-Clercs, Paris), with which Breton was closely associated.
The texts are focused on the artists Jean-Marie Albagnac (1931-); Enrico Baj (1924-2003);
Augustín Cárdenas (1927-2001); Jorge Camacho (1934-2011); Fabio de Sanctis (1931-); René
Duvillier (1919-2002); Max Ernst (1891-1976); Simon Hantaï (1922-); Jim Dine (1935-); Hector
Hyppolite (1894-1948); Gerome Kamrowski (1914-2004); Konrad Klapheck (1935-); Yves Laloy
(1920-1999); Jacques Le Maréchal (1928-2016); Yahne Le Toumelin (1923- ); Marcelle
Loubchansky (1917-1988); René Magritte (1898-1967); Johannes Hendrikus Moesman (1909-1988);
Judit Reigl (1923-2020); Jean-Paul Riopelle (1923-2001); Endre Roszda (1913-1999); Henri and
No Seigle; Ugo Sterpini (1927-2000); Max Walter Svanberg (1912-1994); Remedios Varo
(1908-1963); Miguel Garcia Vivancos (1895-1972); and Aloys Zötl (1803-1887).
One manuscript is a preliminary draft of "L'Art des fous, la clé des champs," which is
considered one of Breton's fundamental texts on art and was incorporated into
Le surréalisme et la peinture in 1965, along with many of the
texts written on artists. The manuscripts also attest to Breton's interest in the work of
the writers, Michel Butor, author of
La peinture se repeuple;
Karel Kupka, author of
Dawn of Art: Painting and Sculpture of
Australian Aborigines
; and Don C. Talayesva, author of
Sun
Chief: The Autobiography of a Hopi Indian
. There is a draft of a letter by Breton
to Max Walter Svanberg and two letters dating from several months before his death in which
Breton further explained which artists he considered to be the most important since World
War II.
These manuscripts were featured in the 2003 auction sale André Breton, 42, rue Fontaine,
Drouot-Richelieu, Paris, auctioneers Calmels-Cohen. The lot numbers from the sale are listed
in each entry.
Arrangement
The manuscripts are arranged by lot number from the 2003 Calmels-Cohen auction sale. Each
manuscript is filed with its Calmels-Cohen folder that gives the lot number from the 2003
sale.
Indexing Terms
Subjects - Names
Breton, André, 1896-1966 --
Archives
Subjects - Topics
Authors--History--20th century--Archives.
Surrealism--Archives.
Authors--Archives.
Genres and Forms of Material
Drafts (documents)
Contributors
Breton, André,
1896-1966
Box 1
André Breton drafts of publications and letters,
1948-1965
Item 1
G. Kamrowsky,
[1950]
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). The text is a draft of a preface written for an exhibition
dedicated to the American artist Gerome Kamrowski (1914-2004) at the Galerie Creuze in
Paris from 6 to 21 January 1950. Draft in blue ink with numerous words crossed out.
Lot 2251. See
Œuvres complètes, IV, 624-627 and
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100477070.
Item 2
Hector Hyppolite,
1948 October 6
Scope and Content Note
3 sheets (3 pages). In this text, Breton gives an account of the exhibition of the
Haitian artist Hector Hyppolite (1894-1948), which was held in Port-au-Prince in Haiti
in December 1945. Draft in blue ink with numerous words crossed out. Signed. Dated.
Lot 2288. See: https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100366270.
Item 3
Aparté,
1949 February
Scope and Content Note
8 sheets (8 pages). The manuscript and typescript draft co-written by André Breton,
Elisa Claro Breton, and Benjamin Péret are dedicated to the Canadian painter Jean-Paul
Riopelle (1923-2001). Draft with numerous words crossed out. Lot 2302.
Item 4
Exp. Max Ernst [i.e. Exposition Max Ernst],
1950 January 5
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). The manuscript is a draft of the presentation given by André Breton
for an exhibition on Max Ernst (1891-1976) held at the gallery La Hune in Paris. Draft
in blue ink with numerous words crossed out. Signed. Dated. Lot 2316.
Item 5
Miguel G. Vivancos,
1950 April 6
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). The manuscript on the Spanish painter Miguel Garcia Vivancos
(1895-1972) was written for an exhibition held in April 1950. Draft in green ink with
numerous words crossed out. Lot 2319. See
Œuvres
complètes
, IV, 708-709 and
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100130710.
Item 6
Mes amis Seigle,
1950 December 19
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). The manuscript is a draft for a preface by André Breton written for
an exhibition on Henri and No Seigle at the Galerie Creuse in Paris in 1951. Draft in
black ink with numerous words crossed out. Signed. Dated. Lot 2327. See
Œuvres complètes, IV, 634-635, 1331 and
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100203450.
Item 7
[Text for the opening of the gallery À l'étoile scellée in
Paris],
1952 November 28
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). In this text, which appeared anonymously in
Arts, Breton mentions Roberto Fernandez Retamar, Wolfgang Paalen, Man Ray,
Clovis Trouille, Jean Arp, Balthus, Victor Brauner, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, and Marie
Cerminova (Toyen). Draft in black ink with numerous words crossed out. Signed. Dated.
Lot 2350. See
Œuvres complètes, III, 1080-1081,
1459-1460 and https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100428280.
Item 8
Hantaï,
1952 December 28
Scope and Content Note
2 sheets (1 page). This text in which Breton discusses the Hungarian artist Simon
Hantaï (1922-) on the occasion of an exhibition held at the gallery À l'étoile
scellée, appeared in January 1953 in
Medium. The
manuscript consists of one sheet and one folded sheet to be inserted at the end of the
text on the first sheet. Draft in black ink with numerous words crossed out. Lot 2353.
See
Œuvres complètes, IV, 637, 1331-1333 and
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100582480.
Item 9
L'Art des fous, la clé des champs,
Fall 1948
Scope and Content Note
4 sheets (4 pages). The manuscript is a draft of "L'Art des fous, la clé des champs,"
which is considered one of Breton's fundamental texts on art. The text appeared in
late 1948 in
Les Cahiers de la Pléiade and again in
Le Surréalisme et la peinture, where it was
illustrated by Aloïse (Aloïse Corbaz) and Adolf Wölfli. Draft in blue ink. Signed. Lot
2372. See
Œuvres complètes, IV, 726-731, 1358-1359 and
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100974830.
Item 10
Draft of letter by André Breton to Max Walter Svanberg,
1954 May 18
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (2 pages). The letter refers to prints and drawings that Walter sent Breton.
Draft in black ink with corrections in pink ink. Signed. Dated. Lot 2383
Item 11
Le regard de Judit Reigl,
1954 October 31
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). The text is a draft for a preface of the catalog for an exhibition
on the Hungarian artist Judit Reigl (1923-2020) at the gallery À l'étoile scellée in
Paris. The text appeared again in
Le Surréalisme et la
peinture
in 1965. Draft in black ink with numerous words crossed out. Lot
2384. See
Œuvres complètes, IV, 639, 1333 and
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100410470.
Item 12
Hector Hyppolite,
[1954]
Scope and Content Note
4 sheets (4 pages). Draft in blue ink with the date "1954" in pencil on the first
sheet. Signed. Lot 2390.
Item 13
L'épée dans les nuages,
1955 January 23
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). Draft in black ink on À l'étoile scellée letterhead with numerous
words crossed out. Signed. Dated. Lot 2397.
Item 14
Hommage à Max Walter S.; La femme du viking,
1954 February 12 and 1955 March 6
Scope and Content Note
3 sheets (3 pages), 3 sheets (3 pages). Drafts in black ink with numerous words
crossed out. Signed. Dated. Lot 2398. See:
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100546780.
Item 15
Duvillier au tramail,
1955 May 18
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). The text on the painter René Duvillier (1919-2002) served as a
preface for the pamphlet of the exhibition
Duvillier, le cheval
de mer océan
at the gallery À l'étoile scellée in Paris in June 1955. The
text appeared again in
Le Surréalisme et la peinture in
1965. Draft with numerous words crossed out in blue ink on green paper. Signed. Dated.
Lot 2402. See:
Œuvres complètes, IV, 760-761, 1364 and
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100182270.
Item 16
Marcelle Loubchansky,
1956 January 25
Scope and Content Note
3 sheets (3 pages). The manuscript is a draft of the preface for the catalog of the
exhibition dedicated to the painter Marcelle Loubchansky (1917-1988) and held at the
Galerie Kléber in Paris in January 1956. The text appeared again in
Le Surréalisme et la peinture in 1965. Draft in black ink
with numerous words crossed out. Signed. Dated. Lot 2421. See:
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100222610.
Item 17
[Aloys Zötl],
1956 March 21
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). The manuscript is a draft of the text on the Austrian painter and
printmaker Aloys Zötl (1803-1887), which served as the preface for the auction catalog
of the sale of watercolors of Zötl held at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris on 1956 May 3.
Draft in black with numerous words crossed out. Signed. Dated. Lot 2425. See:
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100138910.
Item 18
Endre Roszda,
1957 February 10
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). The text was written for an exhibition on the Hungarian artist
organized by Simone Colinet at the Galerie Furstenberg in Paris in February 1957.
Draft in black ink with numerous words crossed out. Signed. Dated. Lot 2439. See:
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100835370.
Item 19
Yahne Le Toumelin,
1957 October 16
Scope and Content Note
2 sheets (2 pages). The text is a draft for the preface of the catalog for the
exhibition dedicated to the French painter Yahne Le Toumelin (1923- ) held at the
Galerie d'Orsay in Paris in November 1957. The text appeared again in
Le Surréalisme et la peinture in 1965. Draft in black ink
with numerous words crossed out. Lot 2448. See
Œuvres
complètes
, IV, 653-657, 1337-1338 and
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100294920.
Item 20
Préface-manifeste,
1958 March 25
Scope and Content Note
3 sheets (3 pages). The text was written on the occasion of the exhibition
Dessins symbolistes, which was organized by Breton at the
Bateau-Lavoir in Paris in March 1958. The draft is in black ink with numerous words
crossed out. One sheet in red and blue ink presents a chronological frieze from 1844
to 1944, which lists artists. Lot 2457. See
Œuvres
complètes
, IV, 777-784, 1369-1371 and
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100750990.
item 21
Yves Laloy,
1958 September 14
Scope and Content Note
2 sheets (2 pages). Upon receipt of the archive, the manuscript was filed in the
folder for lot 2457 which consists of the manuscript "Préface-manifeste," which is
also dated 1958. It formerly appeared in Breton's personal copy of
Yves Laloy (Lot 219) at the 2003 sale. See:
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600101000300.
item 22
Cárdenas,
1959 February 11
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). The text was written on the occasion of the exhibition dedicated to
the Cuban sculptor Augustín Cárdenas (1927-2001) at the Galerie La Cour d'Ingres in
Paris in February-March 1959. Draft in black ink with numerous words crossed out.
Signed. Dated. Lot 2465. See
Œuvres complètes, IV,
738-739, 1360-1361 and https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100197840.
item 23
Les surréalistes à Don C. Talayesva,
[1959]
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). The manuscript does not bear a signature and the date in pencil was
presumably added later. It was filed in the folder from Calmels-Cohen along with the
manuscript on Cárdenas. The draft is in blue ink on blue paper. See
Œuvres complètes, IV, 1095.
item 24
Maréchal,
1960 October 7
Scope and Content Note
3 sheets (3 pages). The three manuscripts are different versions of a biography of
the poet and painter Jacques Le Maréchal (1928-2016). The drafts in blue ink were
written on D'Arcy Galleries, New York, letterhead paper. Lot 2487.
Item 25
Nous ne l'entendons pas de cette oreille,
1960 December 6
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). The text relates an incident at a D'Arcy Galleries exhibition in
New York, which involved Salvador Dalì. Draft in black ink with numerous words crossed
out. Signed. Dated. Lot 2489.
Item 26
Hommage,
1961 September 5
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). The text was written on the occasion of the exhibition dedicated to
René Magritte at the Obelisk Gallery in London in 1961. Draft in black ink on
salmon-colored paper with numerous words crossed out. Signed. Dated. Lot 2497. See
Œuvres complètes, IV, 673-676, 1343-1344 and
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100062700.
Item 27
La peinture se repeuple,
[circa 1961]
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). The manuscript written by André Breton on the verso of an
invitation card is a copy of the text by Michel Butor,
La
peinture se repeuple
, which refers to René Magritte's work
La Condition humaine. Lot 2497. See:
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600101000415.
Item 28
Albagnac,
1961 December 7
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). The text is a draft for a preface to a catalog on the work of the
French printmaker Jean-Marie Albagnac (1931-). The draft is in black ink with numerous
words crossed out. Lot 2499. See: https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100239050.
Item 29
Main première,
1962 October 5-10
Scope and Content Note
3 sheets (3 pages). The text is a draft of the preface to the book by Karel Kupka,
Dawn of Art: Painting and Sculpture of Australian
Aborigines
. The text was also issued in the journal
La Brèche, n°4, February 1963, pages 32-35. Draft in blue ink with numerous
words crossed out. Signed. Dated. One sheet consists of two portions of sheets glued
together. Lot 2508. See: https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100641980.
Item 30
Enrico Baj,
1963 February 10
Scope and Content Note
3 sheets (3 pages), 6 leaves (5 pages). The two texts both titled "Enrico Baj" are
drafts for a preface written for an exhibition held in 1964. One is a manuscript
drafted in blue ink with numerous words crossed out and whose first page consists of
two sheets glued together. The second is a typescript of 6 leaves which is dated 1963
February. Included is an obituary clipping "Enrico Baj" by Harry Bellet (
Le Monde, 19 juin 2003). Lot 2512. See:
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100204960.
Item 31
Hommage à J.-H. Moesman,
1963 March 31
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). On the same sheet is a text dedicated to Jim Dine and dated 8 April
1963. Lot 2514. See: https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100508350.
Item 32
Brousse au-devant de Camacho,
1964 April 11
Scope and Content Note
2 sheets (2 pages). The text is a draft of a preface for an exhibition dedicated to
the Cuban painter Jorge Camacho (1934-2011) at the Galerie Mathias Fels in Paris from
8 to 31 May 1964. The text appeared again in
Le Surréalisme et
la peinture
in 1965. The draft is on letterhead of La Dragonne, Galerie Nina
Dausset and has numerous words crossed out. Signed. Dated. Lot 2520. See
Œuvres complètes, IV, 834-837, 1387-1389 and
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100626200.
Item 33
[Remedios Varo],
1964 November 22
Scope and Content Note
2 sheets (2 pages). The two sheets are drafts of a text on the Spanish artist
Remedios Varo (1908-1963) that appeared in the journal
La
Brèche
no. 7, December 1964. One sheet is dated and bears the initials
"A.B." The second sheet is undated and bears the initials "A.B." The drafts have
numerous words crossed out. Lot 2523. See
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100657780.
Item 34
[Text related to Fabio de Sanctis and Ugo Sterpini],
1964 December 3
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). The draft is a text written on the occasion of the exhibition
dedicated to the architect Fabio de Sanctis and the painter Ugo Sterpini at the
Galleria Pogliani in Rome. It begins with the lines "Nous en restions à cette exquise
fantaisie en prose..." Draft in black ink with numerous words crossed out. Signed.
Dated. Lot 2524. See: https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100276860.
Item 35
Konrad Klapheck,
1965 February 7
Scope and Content Note
2 sheets (2 pages). The text is a draft for the preface to the brochure for the
exhibition at the Galerie Ileana Sonabend in Paris. Draft in black ink with numerous
words crossed out. Signed. Dated. Included is the exhibition brochure. Lot 2526. See:
https://www.andrebreton.fr/work/56600100232510.
Item 36
Letter by André Breton in response to a literary inquiry,
1965 April 4
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (2 pages). Breton explains which literary works he considers to be the most
important in France and in the world. Lot 2528.
Item 37
Letter by André Breton in response to an inquiry relating to
artists,
1965 June 4
Scope and Content Note
1 sheet (1 page). Breton lists the ten artists that he considers to be the most
authentic for the past 20 years: Pierre Alchinsky (Belgium); Enrico Baj (Italy); Jean
Degottex (France); Alberto Gironella (Mexico); Konrad Klapheck (Germany); Robert
Rauschenberg (USA); Max Walter Svanberg (Sweden); and Henri Télémaque (Haiti).
Included are four facsimiles. Lot 2528.
