retour page "surréalisme à vendre"/ infos, liens
des écrivains américains jugent scandaleuse la dispersion de la mémoire Breton
pourtant,
tout indique que la majeure partie de la vente Breton, hors ce que le
gouvernement français daignera inclure dans la liste "interdit
de sortie du territoire" (mais pour le surréalisme on ne se
bouscule pas...), se retrouvera dans les collections d'outre-atlantique,
ce sont des poètes, écrivains et intellectuels américains
qui sont les premiers à protester contre la dispersion du mythique
lieu de mémoire qu'est le 42 rue Fontaine...
ci-dessous les réactions de Nathaniel Tarn, James
Clifford, Ron Padgett, Eliot Weinberger,
que nous mettons en ligne à mesure qu'elles nous parviennent –
Laurent Margantin et François Bon pour remue.net
contributions recueillies par (et tout courrier à) Laurent Margantin
My name is Fern Malkine-Falvey. I am the daughter of the painter Georges Malkine, one of the original members of the Surrealist Movement. I would like to add my voice to all those that oppose the break-up of the Breton collection. How is it possible that the French government has forced the Breton family to sell off his legacy, by making it impossible - because of taxes, to keep it? But even worse - how can it be that there is no one in the government who recognizes who Breton was, and is in the world of art, poetry, literature and ideas? How can they turn their backs on a man who opened up an entire world of thought...who showed the world so much through his embracing the world of the marvelous, the unpredictable...the impossible. How can it be that no one in the French government (the Ministry of Culture??) even made an attempt to save what such a genius in their own midst had assembled over his entire lifetime. What they are doing is criminal, and it makes the French government look absolutely terribly to the rest of the world. I am sure that his daughter and granddaughter are heartbroken by what is happening. They have my most heartfelt sympathy." Fern Malkine-Falvey : painter/journalist - Sonia Malkine - singer/writer - Gilles Malkine - musician/composer - Monelle Malkine Richmond - musician/performer - Shayan Malkine- ecologist/martial artist/ musician - Peter Falvey - Cultural Psychotherapist/Professor
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quatrième soutien américain:
In the United States, we are accustomed to such barbarities, but we maintain
the illusion that other countries-- particularly France!-- take pride
in their cultural achievements. Surrealism was unquestionably the major
artistic force of the 20th century, and its endless manifestations and
ramifications may be seen in almost everything today. André Breton's
collection of books and artworks should be kept together as a national
treasure, and not only for its value to future generations of writers,artists,
and scholars. Taken as a whole, Breton's entire apartment is the great
"installation piece" of Surrealism, an artwork in itself, and
immeasurably more interesting than nearly all the installation pieces
that currently fill the museums. In English or in French, the word for
the impending auction is "scandal."
Eliot
Weinberger
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troisième soutien américain:
Comme poète américain, traducteur d'Apollinaire et Cendrars,
et Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, j'ai entendu avec chagrin
les nouvelles du project de disperser les biens d'André Breton
aux enchères, au lieu de les garder intacts avec le perspective
d'établir un musée André Breton. Evitons cette tragédie!
-Ron
Padgett
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second soutien américain:
December 26th 2002
To whom it may concern:
As a scholar who has written on the history of surrealism, and in particular
on the collecting practices of Western artists and writers in the twentieth
century, I write to express my concern and outrage at the news that Andre
Breton's inestimable personal collection if artifacts and books is about
to be dispersed. This ensemble is of enormous historical interest, given
the central role of aesthetic-cultural appropriation and juxtaposition
in the formation of modernist sensibilities. Breton's famous collection
is the archetypical "work of art" of this genre, now widely
recognized by critics and historians. Moreover, if it could be preserved
and made accessible it would give the public a unique experience of a
lived surrealist interior--an oneiric laboratory. It is essential that
this act of destruction be avoided and that the Breton collection remain
intact.
Sincerely,
James Clifford
Professor, University of California, Santa Cruz
(Author: Malaise dans la Culture: l'ethnographie, la litterature et
l'art au XXe siecle. 1996)
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premier soutien américain:
POETE AMERICAIN NE ET ELEVE EN FRANCE, ETUDES SUPERIEURES EN FRANCE, MEMBRE
A UN CERTAIN MOMENT (1949-50) DU GROUPE SURREALISTE, J'AI LU AVEC UNE
SURPRISE CROISSANTE LE JOUR DE SA PUBLICATION L'ARTICLE DU NEW YORK TIMES
SUR LA VENTE BRETON. SLAVISTE ACTUELLEMENT, JE PENSE AUX CENTAINES DE
MAISONS D'AUTEURS ET D'ARTISTES QUE LA RUSSIE CONSACRE IN TOTO A LA MEMOIRE
D'UN DE SES FILS OU FILLES CELEBRES. IL ME PARAIT INCROYABLE QUE LA FRANCE,
"MERE DES ARTS," NE SOIT PAS CAPABLE DE SAUVER L'IMPORTANTE
MAISON BRETON, AVEC SA COLLECTION ENTIERE IN SITU. LE SURREALISME, NE
EN FRANCE EST UN DES MOUVEMENTS SUPREMES DU XXEME SIECLE ET SON INFLUENCE
REPERCUTE INTERNATIONALEMENT DANS LA PRODUCTION ARTISTIQUE, DANS L'ENSEIGEMENT,
DANS LES ACTIVITES DES MUSEES, DANS LA VIE ENTIERE DOIT-ON DIRE POUR FAIRE
HONNEUR A CETTE IMMENSE DEMARCHE DONT LE BUT CONSTAMMENT AVERE ETAIT PRECISEMENT
DE CHANGER NON PAS LA CULTURE MAIS LA VIE ENTIERE.
NATHANIEL TARN
à lire aussi, de Nathaniel Tarn : Non un passé, mais un avenir – hommage à Breton paru dans la NRF (traduction Auxeméry)