A rare illustrated book that once belonged to the journalist - Lot 13

A rare illustrated book that once belonged to the journalist and writer Théo Fleischman, a valuable testament to his friendship with the painter James Ensor. This volume contains three portrait photographs of James Ensor as well as a remarkable collection of correspondence exchanged between the two men, covering the period from August 23, 1922, to October 22, 1937. It includes ten autograph letters, handwritten and signed by James Ensor. These rare manuscripts offer a glimpse into the richness of the painter’s prose, particularly when he describes the musicality of the sea at Ostend. For example, in a letter dated October 22, 1937, Ensor writes: “Here, I find solitude in the sounds of the bitter waves, tinged with iridescent hues and veiled in splendor. Life is good by the sea when She roars, sings, shivers, or whispers, when She breathes out sonorous thoughts carried by the gentle breeze of the spirit. ” A true painter of words, Ensor also used his correspondence to sketch out potential subjects for paintings. In a letter dated July 27, 1934, he described a painting project as follows: “I like the subject; I’ll have there an eighth heaven brimming with feminine opulence, paradises beautiful with color, little Persian torments, Maidens of Orléans, languor, bored wives, sadness, desires, and dear departed ones. ” The work also contains six typewritten autobiographical pages, corrected in Ensor’s own hand in black ink and dated June 21, 1934. The document begins with this sentence: “Here, in brief, is the story of my life…” Also included is the typewritten report *James Ensor—A Visit to the Painter’s Studio*, produced for the I.N.R. on August 5, 1934, accompanied by ten handwritten pages. This exceptional collection provides a first-rate insight into James Ensor’s literary personality, revealing the Ostend master’s poetic sensibility, rich imagination, and artistic world through his private correspondence with Théo Fleischman.