CHAISSAC, Gaston. 8 autograph letters: - Lot 46

CHAISSAC, Gaston. 8 autograph letters: - 3 SIGNED AUTOGRAPH LETTERS to André [BLOCH]. One written in ink on 6 pages of a school notebook, another in pen, 2 pages in-4, including an ORIGINAL SKETCH, and the last in pencil, 1 page grand in-8. During the war, in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Chaissac met several leading figures from the art world at Albert Gleizes’s home, notably André Bloch, who would support him from afar. André Bloch—architect, sculptor, publisher, and a key figure in the French art scene. In the pencil-written letter, Chaissac dedicates a poem to him and refers to Chaissac as a poet of the NRF. On a full page, he presents a rough sketch of one of his large gouaches. In your opinion, does Dubuffet’s Art Brut have more or less value than his academic paintings? Pierre Giraud’s message seems more like a student prank at first glance, and there’s probably some truth to that, but he has talent, great skill, and a personality that’s rare for someone his age. In short, he’s so magnificently gifted that it’s almost frightening, and it fills one with awe. He seems to take Dubuffet’s advice very seriously. ... I enjoy grooming horses more than painting pictures, and I’ve never gotten up at 4 a.m. to paint; if that were the case, I wouldn’t paint the way I do, but rather like a distinguished gentleman who’ll be honored with a medal one of these days. ... My statuettes look quite like idols; I made all of them without a teacher, and it reminds me of the idol the Hebrews made in the desert while Moses was away. I started painting at age 27, and when I was about 14, I once picked up two pebbles from a stream that I thought were beautiful; to make them even more beautiful, I decorated them with ink blots—and that was undoubtedly my first instinctive act as a decorator. - 2 AUTOGRAPH LETTERS, SIGNED [to Renée BOULIER]. Circa 1962. 2 pages in a school notebook and one page in-4. It was thanks to Louis Ferdinand Céline that Renée Boulier embarked on a career in art criticism; she wrote profiles of artists, particularly that of Chaissac, whom she went to visit in Vix. ... Dear Madam, my health does not permit me to participate in this American exhibition, for the mere idea of a Cordier associate rummaging through my works gives me nervous breakdowns. Above all, I need peace of mind. Moreover, I could drive anyone who insists on it to madness with my unsettling messages. It is, after all, a victory like any other—the only one, in fact, to which I can lay claim. Enclosed is an invitation card to the Chaissac exhibition at the Krugier Gallery in Geneva, sent by Camille Chaissac, the artist’s widow, to Renée Boulier. - 3 AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED to Paul FACCHETTI. 4 pages, in-4 format, written in blue and red ballpoint pen, and 4 pages in a school notebook, written in ink. Very beautiful letters addressed to Paul Facchetti, a photographer and gallery owner in Paris: ... I’m going to apply for a gun permit because I’m getting more and more visits from small-time crooks. I’m familiar with your Rue de Lille, having gone there in my youth to visit the dressmaker Pauline Rollet... You’d make me very happy if you’d be willing to exchange canvases for totems. ...It was a woman with beautiful Venetian blonde hair who inspired me with this totem concept to build a famous collection; I especially love portraits of horses, and they’re the only things that truly move me. If you’re not interested, could you please tell me where to go to satisfy my passion?