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an image of a painting of three men walking on a beacha bunch of old letters and papers are stacked on top of each otherseveral old letters and papers are on a white surfacea group of old papers with writing on them sitting on top of each otheran old drawing of a woman sitting on a chair with a book in her lapan old drawing of a woman holding a bouquet of flowersan old drawing of a woman with a turban on her headseveral old black and white photos of a man and a woman in a kitchen
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11 - Jean Lefort (1875–1954), painter and illustrator
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Estimate €300 - €600
Sale commission
Description
Jean Lefort (1875–1954), painter and illustrator Collection of correspondence, original drawings and photographs 66 letters and postcards, 1913–1946, mostly written during the Great War, addressed to René Benjamin The letters, mostly written from the front, offer a gripping and unvarnished account of the life of an artist thrown into the turmoil of the conflict. The painter describes the reality of life in the trenches, offering a poignant account of the brutality of war. Above all, amidst the trenches, art remains his sole source of strength; he refers to his works and his drawings for newspapers and for the illustrations for the Goncourt Prize-winning novel *Gaspard*. The correspondence also bears witness to a deep bond and a loyal friendship between him and René Benjamin. Including: FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE AUCTION CATALOGUE 3 small photographs: Jean Lefort at the front at La Faisanderie in Bouvigny (Pas-de-Calais), February 1915; Mrs Lefort, a volunteer nurse at the hospital in Château-Thierry, 1915 4 original drawings A young woman from Alsace Black chalk and watercolour 29 June 1920 (on the back of a handwritten letter) Signed 18 x 14 cm Portrait of a woman Black chalk Signed Caption: ‘Tell me, by what right are you taking my photograph?’ 16 x 9 cm Portrait of Benjamin writing, Rue des Batignolles, 17th arrondissement Black chalk 22 x 15.5 cm Autograph letter signed: ‘To my friend René Benjamin in the course of his duties!’ Boches, near the Villa d’Acq, 11 May 1917 Black chalk, watercolours and gouache Signed 23 x 17 cm Unframed FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE AUCTION CATALOGUE
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About the sale René Benjamin, the 20th-century Balzac scholar
Auction location
Auction time 10/06/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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