Autograph letter signed by painter Anne-Louis Girodet-Trioson to Prégent Brillet de Villemorge, mayor of Angers, dated April 1, 1823. One and a half pages on a bifolium, with the autograph address on the verso of the last leaf.
Traces of folds inherent to mailing, and some creases in the laid paper.
Girodet is attempting to recover the painting that won him second prize in France's most prestigious artistic competition: Romulus having Tatius killed (1788). During the French Revolution, the painting had left the Académie royale de peinture for the Musée central des Arts, before being entrusted to the Musée d'Angers.
The painter fondly recalls the masterpiece that made him famous: "As I grow older, those of my earliest works done on the school benches, and such as the 'Tableau de Romulus' in the Musée d'Angers, reminding me of that happy period of my youth, have, despite their faults, an attraction for me that the less imperfect productions which since those distant times have won me some acclaim do not have, and it is on this account alone that I would have wished to recover at least the lifetime possession of them". After being part of Jacques Louis David's atelier, Girodet competed three times for the prestigious Prix de Rome, a veritable holy grail for French artists, which "has long been the highest distinction awarded to an artist wishing to embark on a career in the fine arts" (Stéphane Allavena). In 1788, he won second prize with 'Romulus', and first prize with 'Joseph Recognized by His Brothers', presented the following year. Girodet was one of the last painters to stay in Rome before being expelled by revolutionary uprisings, marking a period of interruption in competitions for several years.
The works submitted for this prize - including the one mentioned by the painter - were not recovered by their authors, and became the property of the academy, considerably enriching royal - and then public - collections to the detriment of the artists. In these important lines, the painter recalls the unfavorable condition of artists at the beginning of the 19th century: "The Musée du Louvre is reserved for the works of dead artists, and the Galerie du Luxembourg will not dispossess itself of those of my works that are placed there". It remains unknown whether Girodet won his case; he also tried to negotiate by offering to paint a new commissioned work: " to operate the exchange which would be agreeable to me and to which your kindness would seem to wish to consent, and which I dare to think would not be to the detriment of the Musée d'Angers, I would have to work on a painting specially intended for this particular arrangement [. ...] I would consider myself very happy to be able, through a better painting, to justify the honor of seeing my name among those of the skilled men whose works adorn your museum and who are appreciated there by connoisseurs as distinguished as you are".

Precious letter by an immense artist defending his interests: "Burdened by a multitude of affairs that do not even allow me the freedom to indulge in the experience of my art, I am, I assure you, more to be pitied than blamed".

3 800 €

Réf : 86654

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