George Besson. Journey of an art broker.
Somogy| N° d'inventaire | 16501 |
| Format | 19 x 26.5 |
| Détails | 256 p., 182 illustrations, paperback with flaps. |
| Publication | Paris, 2012 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782757205266 |
The book traces the career of art critic George Besson (1882-1971), and reports on the exhibition, presented in his hometown of Saint-Claude, which brings together the main works of the Besson collection at the Musée de l'Abbaye (October 28, 2011 - February 12, 2012). A young provincial who arrived in the capital at the dawn of the 20th century, George Besson found himself at the heart of the ideological effervescence of this period. His political commitment, which brought him into contact with Marcel Sembat and Marcel Cachin, quickly plunged him into the artistic avant-garde. Between 1908 and 1910, he met the painters Signac, Marquet, Bonnard and Matisse. His decisive meeting in 1907 with Francis Jourdain introduced him to Van Dongen, Vallotton and Marquet. To defend his artistic and political views, in 1912 he founded with Francis Jourdain "Les Cahiers d'aujourd'hui" whose articles were written by Léon Werth, Octave Mirbeau, Elie Faure, Emile Verhaeren, Jules Romain, Valéry Larbaud, Colette... and illustrated with drawings by Bonnard, Vuillard, Albert André, Matisse, Marquet, Renoir, Rodin, Signac. In 1925, he served as artistic director of Éditions Crès, then in 1932 as collection director of Éditions Braun until 1957. From 1947 to 1969, he was above all the artistic columnist for Lettres Françaises, directed by Aragon. There, he supported the aesthetic views of the Communist Party, and continued to promote figurative painting in the French tradition and to combat abstraction. This personal commitment and the links forged with these young artists will significantly modify the profile of the collection, with François Desnoyers, Guy Bardone, René Genis, Jacques Petit, André Minaux, Paul Collomb, Jean Fusaro, André Lhote, Bernard Lorjou, Paul Rebeyrolle… The collection put together by George Besson reflects above all the choices of an enlightened amateur, linked to his privileged relationships with artists and to the vision of the world of a committed critic, who considered that the revolution came through art.
The book traces the career of art critic George Besson (1882-1971), and reports on the exhibition, presented in his hometown of Saint-Claude, which brings together the main works of the Besson collection at the Musée de l'Abbaye (October 28, 2011 - February 12, 2012). A young provincial who arrived in the capital at the dawn of the 20th century, George Besson found himself at the heart of the ideological effervescence of this period. His political commitment, which brought him into contact with Marcel Sembat and Marcel Cachin, quickly plunged him into the artistic avant-garde. Between 1908 and 1910, he met the painters Signac, Marquet, Bonnard and Matisse. His decisive meeting in 1907 with Francis Jourdain introduced him to Van Dongen, Vallotton and Marquet. To defend his artistic and political views, in 1912 he founded with Francis Jourdain "Les Cahiers d'aujourd'hui" whose articles were written by Léon Werth, Octave Mirbeau, Elie Faure, Emile Verhaeren, Jules Romain, Valéry Larbaud, Colette... and illustrated with drawings by Bonnard, Vuillard, Albert André, Matisse, Marquet, Renoir, Rodin, Signac. In 1925, he served as artistic director of Éditions Crès, then in 1932 as collection director of Éditions Braun until 1957. From 1947 to 1969, he was above all the artistic columnist for Lettres Françaises, directed by Aragon. There, he supported the aesthetic views of the Communist Party, and continued to promote figurative painting in the French tradition and to combat abstraction. This personal commitment and the links forged with these young artists will significantly modify the profile of the collection, with François Desnoyers, Guy Bardone, René Genis, Jacques Petit, André Minaux, Paul Collomb, Jean Fusaro, André Lhote, Bernard Lorjou, Paul Rebeyrolle… The collection put together by George Besson reflects above all the choices of an enlightened amateur, linked to his privileged relationships with artists and to the vision of the world of a committed critic, who considered that the revolution came through art.