Rosza Klein dite Rogi ANDRÉ.
Portrait of Jacques Prévert. Paris, 1939.
Original photograph signed, silver print (38.7 x 24.7 cm), mounted on strong cardboard.
Superb portrait of Jacques Prévert at the age of 39, leaning against a fireplace.
In 1939, the future author of Paroles - he had not yet published anything - was a screenwriter and dialogue writer in the limelight for the cinema. The year before this photograph, he had adapted Pierre Mac-Orlan's novel Le Quai des brumes, directed by Marcel Carné with Michèle Morgan, Jean
Gabin, Michel Simon and Pierre Brasseur - and one might be tempted, looking at this portrait with its slightly murky pose, to declare, like Jean Gabin: "You have beautiful eyes, you know."
The year of this portrait, Prévert wrote, again for Marcel Carné, the dialogues for Le Jour se lève, with Arletty and Jean Gabin.
Photographer and then painter of Hungarian origin, Rogi André (1900-1970) settled in Paris in the 1920s: linked to the artistic circles of the Capital, particularly the Surrealists, she made numerous portraits of personalities of the arts and letters. She was the first and short-lived wife of André Kertesz, her compatriot also exiled in Paris. She was hidden during the Occupation by the gallery owner Jeanne Bucher.
Signed autograph on the mantelpiece:
For Claudy this portrait of an animal
I have been happy with you... I may be again
Jacques
The poet has drawn a small animal after his signature and a sun in ink and red pencil in the upper left corner.
The letter is addressed to Claudy Cech, known as Claudy Carter, the young woman Prévert fell in love with and who was his companion during the war years from 1938 to 1944: she was fifteen years old in 1937 when Prévert introduced her to his brother Pierre, an assistant to Marcel Carné, who hired her for Drôle de drame. Claudy Carter confided to Yves Courrière, the poet's biographer, her fascination when she met him: "Physically, I liked him a lot. I thought he looked like Humphrey Bogart!" Then the young actress left Prévert for a football player from Vence, Constant Emmanuelli.
On the occasion of the poet's centenary, Claudy Carter gave a television interview recounting her meeting and love affair with Prévert: one of the first images in the documentary is of this autographed photograph, which she had kept.
The print was signed twice by the photographer: on the print, in the lower right-hand corner, and underneath, on the mounting card. Stamp on the reverse.
Scratches on the image; the backing card has been restored.
We use cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience, perform site traffic analysis, and deliver content and advertisements most relevant to your interests.
Cookie management:
By allowing these cookies, you agree to the deposit, reading and use of tracking technologies necessary for their proper functioning. Read more about our privacy policy.