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a close up of a piece of paper with writing on itseveral old letters are on a piece of paper on a white surfacean old newspaper with a picture of a man in a suit and tie
ROUILLAC

131 - René Morère (1907–1942), painter, the man from Castillon in …
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Estimate €100 - €200
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René Morère (1907–1942), painter, the man from Castillon in Montmartre A collection of letters from the artist, his sister and a collector friend FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE AUCTION CATALOGUE 8 autograph letters, dated 1930–1942, from René Morère to René Benjamin and Raymond Ritter, including: Letter from the author, 26 July Dear René Benjamin, I beg your forgiveness with all my heart for leaving you so long without news ( ) things aren’t going very well and ailments are befalling me one after the other, both the most serious and the most minor, and this ‘concert’ – to which I am, much against my will, invited – is somewhat discordant and painful. I hope, despite everything, that this dreadful spell I have been going through for nearly eight months will come to an end one day and that, in the end, a little light will begin to shine. I’m very pleased to hear you’re working so hard; I wish I could say the same! But the countryside where I’ve come to stay for a while – whilst having to return to Paris three times a week for treatment – seems to me infinitely dreary and, in any case, incapable of bringing me any joy. Your paintings are at my place; let me know if you’d like me to take them round to yours Autograph letter, undated [spring 1933] Dear Mr Benjamin, It’s all sorted: my exhibition will take place at Bernheim Jeune from 27 May to 9 June in a lovely room on the first floor. I owe this unexpected opportunity to you and to Guitry. I shall never forget it ( ) Believe me when I say that I see and seek only beauty and enchantment, and that there are not really any satirical or ugly intentions in my paintings. I have always denied this. But let us return to this exhibition. I shall be able to display around thirty paintings, but only medium-sized ones, no large ones, as the ceiling is a little low, and about twenty drawings and engravings. I naturally wish to make as great an impression as I possibly can, and nothing must be overlooked in order to achieve that. ( ) Thank you for speaking so warmly of me to Guitry – the warmth you must have shown him must be the reason he has done so much for me!… L.A.S., Paris, 30 March 1934 Dear René Benjamin I returned to Paris a few days ago. I spent three months in Pau, where my health has improved and where I had the great pleasure of selling about ten paintings. Pau is truly a place of respite for me, thanks to the warm welcome my friends go out of their way to give me, the sense of purpose I find in selling paintings, and the illusion I also have of being somewhat socially connected to something. Those few days in Paris plunge me back into that anxiety, those obsessions I cannot shake off here, which are becoming increasingly persistent and dreadful. The idea of being drowned or tied up against a wall. Having no friends, failing to find a direction for my painting, a resonance, and the harmful isolation in which I live. All this truly paralyses me. I have reached that turning point where my youthful years are behind me and my bohemian existence, content in itself, is over. The mind has this absolute need for a calmer foundation, so that creativity might be nourished a little and come to life. I have felt this for over a year; I toss and turn restlessly in this unmade bed and I am not working. That is the most terrible thing about it all, for it is precisely at the moment when the mind is freeing itself from the passions of youth and finds, more and more, that this work alone is the true end, the least vain of all passions. Solitude is, of course, beautiful and right, and useful, but I’ve walked hundreds of kilometres through the streets of Paris at night, and doing that all over again every evening no longer leads me to much of anything, I mean. I want to practise my craft as a painter, whilst having some rest and some diversion, and some ‘company’ that does not come solely from myself. I would like to have in Paris—the real city that really matters, after all—the same pleasure that I have in Pau. The same company. Spaghetti is made to be eaten. Paintings are meant to be looked at and discussed or loved – in any case, to be engaged with. An artist’s life consists of solitude and attachment, of being connected to the world and society – but both are necessary. The rat’s life I lead cannot go on because it paralyses me. I feel it all too keenly. How can I break free? I need a little help, someone to open a few doors for me. Nothing comes my way on Boulevard de Clichy or in Barbès; it’s always me who gives! And you know, despite the wars and revolutions, and what abominable times we’re living in! An artist’s life goes on regardless. Resignation does not serve the arts well. You have to fight and win, but to do that you need a few trump cards up your sleeve. To convince someone, I need to know them a little intimately. FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE SALES 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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