BOIFFARD Jacques-André (1902-1961)

Lot 57
Go to lot
Estimation :
3000 - 4000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 5 460EUR
BOIFFARD Jacques-André (1902-1961)
[Portrait], circa 1928 Original gelatin-silver print, "Photo J.-A. Boiffard Paris" stamp on the back 7.6 x 9.2 cm [Portrait], circa 1928 Original gelatin-silver print, "Photo J.-A. Boiffard Paris" stamp on the back 3 x 3.63 inch Note : Like Berenice Abbott, Bill Brandt and Lee Miller, Jacques-André Boiffard was a student of Man Ray. Among them, he is the one whose photographic work has the most direct links with surrealism. After studying medicine, he joined the Surrealist group in 1924 thanks to his childhood friend Pierre Naville who introduced him to André Breton. Thus, he co-signed the preface to the first issue of La Révolution surréaliste (December 1, 1924). From this date on, he published numerous texts and photographs in the magazine, and worked in parallel with Man Ray from 1924 to 1929, making portraits in particular (lots n°56 to 67). In 1928, André Breton asked him to illustrate Nadja (lots n°103 to 110). He produced images that were "empty, banal and as if frozen, with no real connection to the text, simple settings of all possibilities" as the author wanted. Despite this successful collaboration, André Breton excluded him from the group, and Boiffard became close to Georges Bataille and the journal Documents. In particular, he produced a series of images devoted to the human body, of a raw realism, original for the time: The Big Toe (1929) (lot n°129). Then he also published a series on masks (1930, see lots n°68 and 69), in collaboration with Pierre Prévert and Alberto Giacometti (which is less well known). He also associated himself with Eli Lotar (see lot n°136) in the Studios Unis, rue Froidevaux (1929-1932) Always fascinated by the human body, he produced a large number of nudes of Renée Jacobi, his companion at the time (lots n°96 to 100), one of which, the upside-down head, was also published in Documents (1930). The links with Man Ray are even more obvious in these images, as Boiffard also applied himself to transforming the body of his companion into a veritable "objetfétiche". Like Berenice Abbott, Bill Brandt and Lee Miller, Jacques-André Boiffard was a student of Man Ray. Among them, he is the person whose photographic work has the most direct ties to surrealism. After studying medicine, he joined the Surrealist group in 1924 thanks to his childhood friend Pierre Naville who introduced him to André Breton. As a result, he co-signed the preface to the first issue of La Révolution surréaliste (December 1, 1924). From this date on, he published numerous texts and photographs in the magazine, and worked alongside Man Ray from 1924 to 1929, producing portraits in particular (lots n°56 to 67). In 1928, André Breton asked him to illustrate Nadja (lots n°103 to 110). He produced images that were "empty, banal and as if frozen, with no real connection to the text, simple settings of all possibilities" as the author wanted. Despite this successful collaboration, André Breton excluded him from the group, and Boiffard became close to Georges Bataille and the Documents review. He produced a series of images devoted to the human body, with a raw realism that was original for the time: le Gros orteil (1929) (lot n°129). He then published a series on masks (1930, see lot n°68 and 69), in collaboration with Pierre Prévert and Alberto Giacometti (a lesser known work, see. He also worked with Eli Lotar (see lot n°136) in the Studios Unis, rue Froidevaux (1929-1932). Always fascinated by the human body, he produced a large number of nudes of Renée Jacobi, his companion at the time (lot n°96 to 100), one of which, the upside-down head, was also published in Documents (1930). The links with Man Ray are even more obvious in these images, Boiffard also explored the transformation of the body of his companion into a real "object-fetish". Provenance: Collection Edmonde et Lucien Treillard, Paris Bibliography: - Alain Sayag, A. Lionel-Marie, Collection de photographies du Musée national d'art moderne, 1905-1948, Centre Georges Pompidou, 1996, p. 56 - Atelier Man Ray, 1920-1935, Abbott, Boiffard, Brandt, Miller, Centre Georges Pompidou/Philippe Sers, 1982-1983, p. 23
My orders
Sale information
Sales conditions
Return to catalogue