René Char and Alberto Giacometti, a sovereign conversation
- René Char and Alberto Giacometti, "A Sovereign Conversation"
- Exhibition proposed by Marie-Claude Char
- From March 21 to April 14, 2018
On the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the death of René Char, the Galerie Gallimard is offering an exhibition from March 21 to April 14, 2018 dedicated to the author of Feuillets d’Hypnos.
This exhibition is presented in two parts: one devoted to the collaboration of René Char with his friend Alberto Giacometti, notably for the bibliophile editions of Visage nuptial and of Retour Amont (to be published in “Poésie/Gallimard”); the other, on the publication in 1948, seventy years ago, of René Char’s great collection, Fureur et mystère.
« L’Homme sur le précipice qui regarde dans le vide. »
Etching by Alberto Giacometti for Retour Amont by René Char, 1965. Fondation Giacometti.
Luxury editions, prints, rare or unpublished original documents will be presented in homage to the poet.
“You have pierced my poems like a sure arrow.
I am very moved by it."
René Char to Alberto Giacometti, September 26, 1965
Around the exhibition
On March 15, the Poésie/Gallimard collection publishes Le Visage nuptial followed by Retour amont by René Char, illustrated by Alberto Giacometti and prefaced by Marie-Claude Char. An edition augmented by two unpublished letters from Alberto Giacometti and René Char about Retour amont. And in Avignon from March 23 to June 10, an exhibition: René Char. L’homme qui marche dans un rayon de soleil at the Angladon Museum and the Ceccano Municipal Library.
“Allégeance” (Fureur et mystère). Manuscript by René Char, private collection.
Born in the time of surrealism, the friendship between René Char and Alberto Giacometti continued to strengthen and assert itself more actively and creatively from 1946 onwards, to the point that it is no exaggeration to say that they became from then on "substantial allies" for each other, in the sense that the poet gave to this expression.
Char devotes a text to Giacometti in Recherche de la base et du sommet. Giacometti paints a portrait of Char. They exchange dedications, letters and drawings. But their understanding is revealed above all when they participate in a common work, as evidenced precisely by two dissimilar works: the illuminated manuscript of Visage nuptial and the deluxe edition of Retour amont . The first dates from 1963, Char's calligraphic writing is accompanied by seven drawings by Giacometti, of an unusual style since the artist uses colored pencils here. The second dates from 1965, the text typographed by Guy Lévis Mano is illustrated by four etchings.
By publishing these two works in succession, as well as a long unpublished letter from Giacometti to Char, which evokes the dynamics of their collaboration, Poésie /Gallimard intends to continue the essential dialogue between poets and painters already outlined in the collection with Braque, Arp, Éluard, Man Ray, Zao Wou-Ki, Leiris, Masson, Miró, Reverdy, Picasso, and of course René Char, the most present in this field.
