"un peu moins abruti ce matin"

Autograph letter signed "R" by Auguste Renoir, addressed to his friend and great collector of his works Paul Bérard. One and a half pages in black ink on a bifolium.
Horizontal fold mark inherent to mailing.

 

Renoir writes this letter to the diplomat and banker Paul Bérard, one of the most significant figures in his career  who commissioned no fewer than ten paintings. They maintained a correspondence spanning several decades. At Bérard's residence, the château de Wargemont near Dieppe, Renoir painted a number of his masterpieces: celebrated landscapes and portraits of the Bérard family ("some of his liveliest and most unsual portraits" Anne Distel), as well as their cousins, and even their butler. 

Three years earlier, the painter had traveled in the footsteps of the Dutch masters with Bérard, accompanied by Claude Monet and the art dealer Durand-Ruel. At the time of writing this letter, Renoir was staying in the South of France to relieve his rheumatism, which eventually led him in the later part of his life to brilliantly explore the medium of sculpture. He mentions the Grand Hôtel des Colonies et des Négociants in Cannes, which he often frequented during his stays in the region. This letter may date from the spring of 1901 – according to his correspondence with Durand-Ruel, Renoir indeed stayed at this Cannes hotel at that time. Also consistent with our letter, his wife Aline left at the same moment for Essoyes, her native village, with their son Jean, future renowned filmmaker. At the beginning of summer, a few weeks after this letter, Renoir would receive the Légion d'honneur from the hands of the letter's recipient Paul Bérard, whom he had chosen to present him with France’s highest distinction.

"Dear friend
A little less dazed this morning. I think I can give you some information. I think I will be able to pack my things tomorrow, Sunday, and go down Monday evening to the Hôtel des Négociants in Cannes opposite [sic] the station.
My wife would leave for her hometown with Jean and I will stay a few days alone.
Provided all this is not upset by a fifteenth sudden [sic] bout of flu.
I still hope, however, to recover [sic] enough to be able to get about a little with you.
R.
Will be there Monday for dinner at the hotel."

A charming note from the great painter to one of his most important collectors : "Bérard became a lifelong friend, seemingly because he preferred the artistic vie de Boheme to the company of his own social set" (John House). This highly visual document dates from a decisive moment in the reception of Renoir’s work, just weeks before he was awarded the Légion d'honneur, and as his paintings finally began entering French museum collections.

With special thanks to Mr. Augustin de Butler for his assistance in preparing this description.