Description

Lettre de Charles Fourier adressée de Belley à l'éditeur de la bibliothèque universelle (non identifié) le 11 janvier 1820, avec un manuscrit inédit.  ​​​​​​​

Le dossier « Fourier » de Breton est d'autant plus intéressant qu'on peut y lire pas à pas l'origine de l'une des pièces les plus originales de sa collection, ce portrait à l'huile de Fourier que l'on trouve aujourd'hui reproduit dans tous les dictionnaires : les lettres du libraire d'ancien qui l'a découvert sont accompagnées d'un courrier d'Emile Lehouck, daté de 1963, dans lequel cet érudit bruxellois, qui dédicacera l'année suivante à Breton un article sur Flora Tristan, donne quelques éléments d'exégèse sur un des textes les plus amusants de Fourier, entièrement écrit sous forme de calembours. Des autographes de Fourier et différentes gravures le représentant sont joints à l'ensemble. [site Atelier André Breton, 2005]

Lettres autographes signées, photographies et lithographies de portraits de Charles Fourier, sous chemise titrée « Charles Fourier » par André Breton.
Photocopies (4 pages in-4°) d'une lettre et d'un document autographe de Charles Fourier. [Catalogue de la vente, 2003]

La lettre est accompagnée de trois pages manuscrites in-4° relatives à la découverte de cinq nouvelles planètes. [site Atelier André Breton, 2023]

 

Creation date	11/01/1820
Bibliographical material	Ms, encre noire - 4 pages in-4°
Languages	French
Place of origin	Belley, Ain
Number of pages	4 p.
Reference	1459000
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 2458
Keywords	Astrology, Correspondence, Fourier, Letter
Categories	Forwarded Correspondences
Set	[Archives] Dossier Charles Fourier
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600101002613

See also

Description

Lettre d'André Breton à sa fille Aube et à son mari Yves Elléouët.

 

Transcription

St-Cirq, le 20 septembre 1956.

Très cher Yves ,

vous me pardonnerez de vous écrire sur cette feuille que je n’aime guère : je n’ai pratiquement pas d’autre papier. Voici de vous, ce matin, en même temps que d’Aube , une seconde lettre adorable. Allons, je ne vais tout de même pas vous dire que vous êtes un « amour » mais j’ai glissé un jour à une oreille qui ne demandait qu’à l’entendre que vous étiez le Prince Charmant en personne  — et ce n’était pas seulement pour lui faire plaisir. Vous êtes aussi Lancelot du Lac au jeu des analogies quand je le pratique seul avec moi-même. Vous êtes un composé de farouche et d’exquis dont je ne pressentais pas la vertu de séduction avant de vous rencontrer. Il y a du Chateaubriand aussi, je ne voudrais pas que cela vous offusque : vous savez que ce que j’en dis est en très bonne part. Je fais souvent le tour assez vertigineux de cette plage du ciel… des destinées dont la première pierre très blanche et très pure est cette première lettre que vous m’avez adressée et que j’ai quelquefois regardée depuis lors. À partir de là, que les astres ont été vite ! J’ai encore toutes les peines à les suivre des yeux. Je ne sais que rendre grâce, comme du timbre d’un poème parfait.

Ceci dit — sans j’espère que vous ayez eu trop à froncer les sourcils ni à ouvrir plus grand votre œil droit — et puisque vous voulez bien vous inquiéter de moi, je vous avoue que je ne suis pas encore très prêt à regagner Paris . L’ouvrage détestable que vous savez  reste toujours en souffrance et, dès que j’entreprends de m’y remettre, les grands tourments et menaces nocturnes se reproduisent. Il y a même des démons qui poussent l’impudence jusqu’à se nommer : celui de l’avant-dernière nuit a cru bon de répéter qu’il s’appelait « Jappard ». Tout ce qui pourrait vous donner idée approchante de l’atmosphère qu’ils me font serait, je crois, En rade de Huysmans . Je continue à chercher secours dans les agates. Nanos  a trouvé près du barrage de Mercuès une pierre d’un aspect si singulier, recélant apparemment tant d’intentions qu’on peut se demander si ce n’est pas là une statuette de « déesse-mère » (comme ils disent) d’époque néolithique, torse en violon et tête de hibou, — une chose vraiment fascinante en tout cas.

Madeleine et Léo Ferré s’annoncent pour quelques jours. De toute manière la première du ballet La Nuit, auquel il a travaillé cet été, est fixée au 28 ou 29 septembre. Qu’Aube n’hésite surtout pas à demander par téléphone à ce que vous y soyez invités.

À vous de cœur.

André

Un bonjour tendre à vous et Aube , Elisa

 

Bibliography

André Breton (Jean-Michel Goutier éd.), Lettres à Aube, Paris, Gallimard, coll. Blanche, 2009, p. 101-104

Librairie Gallimard

Creation date	20/09/1956
Postmarked date	20/09/1956
Destination address	117, rue de Vaugirard Paris XVe
Bibliographical material	2 pages in-4°
Physical description	papier à en-tête du Surréalisme même
Place of origin	Auberge des Mariniers place du Carol Saint-Cirq Lapopie, Lot
Library	Bibliothèque littéraire Jacques Doucet, Paris : Ms Ms 41363_108
Method of acquisition and collection	Don Aube et Oona Elléouët à la Bibliothèque littéraire Jacques-Doucet, Paris, 2003
Number of pages	2
Copyright	© Aube Breton, Gallimard 2009
Reference	19004963
Keywords	Astrology, Letter, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
Categories	Correspondence, Letters from André Breton
Set	[Correspondance] Lettres à Aube
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600101000136

Description

Alfred Jarry’s Astrological Chart and manuscript development by André Breton, dating from 1926 to 1930.

We do not possess the sort of skill required to comment on this astrological chart of Alfred Jarry, which can be dated sometime between 1926 and 1930, and we leave the reader to enjoy meandering through the interpretative fragments that follow, and which compose a kind of portrait - whether or not there is a resemblance is of little consequence.

Let’s note only that along with other astrological charts, it represents one of the major parts of Breton's archives, for a very simple reason: when they were discovered in 2003 it make it clear that Breton's interest in astrology had been much more committed than previously known. To know human destiny - this horizon appeared as early as the ‘sommeils’ of 1922, the period of sleeping-fits, when Desnos, encouraged by his friends’ repeated questions, made predictions that generally had little basis in any methodology.

The 1925 ‘Letter to the Seers’ saw Breton increasingly commit himself to a more methodical approach, even though this method might hardly seem credible to a modern mind. But was it not a question, as early as the 1924 Manifesto, of breaking with the scientific spirit, whose aporias and inadequacies were all too evident? Henceforth, astrology and, more generally, the alchemical tradition, became established as alternative forms of knowledge, in the same way as myth, though not necessarily as a belief to which one was forced to adhere; rather as another way of seeing, a heterodox way of approaching the enigmas of a world potentially rich in discoveries.

Breton thus gradually became interested in the reviled practices of palmists, clairvoyants, and astrologers. For him it would only ever be a question of formally examining the beliefs of others. However, these astrological charts show how tempted he was to take the step from intellectual interest to belief. If they remained discreetly filed away in his personal archives, it is undoubtedly because he never permanently settled into this belief, experienced more as a temptation than as a faith.

The context should also be taken into account: a book like Arcane 17, in 1944, indisputably shifts towards a culture that in 1930 might have appeared retrograde and, moreover, contradictory to the positions taken by the surrealists on religion. At the time when Breton drew up these astrological charts, he was a long way from being able to make his interest public: this would contribute to blurring the ideological position of a group that remained under the spotlight, subjected to the suspicions of the "official" Marxists, i.e., the Communist Party.

To demonstrate one's adherence to Marx's philosophy meant rejecting in advance the ‘opium of the people’, both official religion and popular superstition. The exhibition Le surréalisme en 1947 created some controversy with the Revolutionary Surrealists due to the religious dimension of the culture on display (the altars, the reference to myth). In the 1950s Breton finally became more openly involved with magic and occultism, but would continue taking a cultural approach. In this respect, L’Art magique (1957) was a key work in which Breton examined the history of art to argue that magic was its essential component from the days of cave art until the most recent manifestations of modern art. [Atelier André Breton website, 2005]
- 1 page in-4° on daffodil paper, astrological chart of Alfred Jarry by André Breton.
- 3 pages in-4° on daffodil paper by Breton developing the astral chart of Jarry (Light traces of humidity). [Auction Catalog, 2003]

 

Creation date	circa 1926 - 1930
Bibliographical material	4 pages in-4°
Languages	French
Physical description	Ms - encres noire, verte et rouge ; crayon sur papier orange
Number of pages	4
Reference	1605000
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 2116
Keywords	Astrology
Categories	Archives, Andre Breton's Manuscripts
Set	[AB's Manuscripts] Thèmes astrologiques
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100571880

Description

Essai d'Henri Candiani publié en 1935 par Hippocrate à Paris.

Théorie liant l'astrologie et la psychologie ainsi que la divination. Publié la même année par Le livre documentaire à Paris. [site André Breton 2023]

 

Table of Contents

Conception matérialiste de l’astrologie.
Déterminisme astropsychologique.
Les engrammes fatiques.
L’inconscient et l’astrologie.
Complexe de Cassandre.
Rayonnement astro–humain.
Télépathie universelle.
Attraction des individus de fatismes complémentaires.
Pressentiments.
Mécanisme des facultés prétendues supranormales : cryptesthésie, métagnosie, etc.

 

Notice Sudoc

Bibliographical material	Paris, Hippocrate, 1935. In-4°, broché.
Date of publication	01/01/1935
Publication	first publication
Languages	French
Size	24,00 cm
Publisher	Hippocrate, Paris
Reference	6712000
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 1361
Keywords	aphorismes, Astrology, Divination, Occultism, Psychoanalysis, Sacred or Religion
Categories	Books, poems, fiction, non-fiction
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600101002431

See also

Description

Essai d'Henri Candiani publié en 1935 par Le livre documentaire à Paris.

Édition originale. [catalogue de la vente, 2003]

Théorie liant l'astrologie et la psychologie ainsi que la divination. Publié la même année par Hippocrate à Paris. [site André Breton 2023]

 

Table of Contents

Conception matérialiste de l’astrologie.
Déterminisme astropsychologique.
Les engrammes fatiques.
L’inconscient et l’astrologie.
Complexe de Cassandre.
Rayonnement astro–humain.
Télépathie universelle.
Attraction des individus de fatismes complémentaires.
Pressentiments.
Mécanisme des facultés prétendues supranormales : cryptesthésie, métagnosie, etc.

 

Notice Sudoc

Bibliographical material	Paris, Le livre documentaire, 1935, in-4°, broché.
Date of publication	01/01/1935
Publication	2st publication
Languages	French
Number of pages	24 et VII p.
Reference	6712000
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 1361
Keywords	aphorismes, Astrology, Divination, Occultism, Psychoanalysis, Sacred or Religion
Categories	Books, poems, fiction, non-fiction
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600101002432

See also

Description

Louis Aragon’s Astrological Chart by André Breton, dated between 1926 and 1930.

We do not possess the sort of skill required to comment on this astrological chart of Louis Aragon, which can be dated to around 1930, and we leave the reader to enjoy meandering through the interpretative fragments that follow, and which compose a kind of portrait - whether or not there is a resemblance is of little consequence.

Let’s note only that along with other astrological charts, it represents one of the major parts of Breton's archives, for a very simple reason: when they were discovered in 2003 it make it clear that Breton's interest in astrology had been much more committed than previously known. To know human destiny - this horizon appeared as early as the ‘sommeils’ of 1922, the period of sleeping-fits, when Desnos, encouraged by his friends’ repeated questions, made predictions that generally had little basis in any methodology. 

The 1925 ‘Letter to the Seers’ saw Breton increasingly commit himself to a more methodical approach, even though this method might hardly seem credible to a modern mind. But was it not a question, as early as the 1924 Manifesto, of breaking with the scientific spirit, whose aporias and inadequacies were all too evident? Henceforth, astrology and, more generally, the alchemical tradition, became established as alternative forms of knowledge, in the same way as myth, though not necessarily as a belief to which one was forced to adhere; rather as another way of seeing, a heterodox way of approaching the enigmas of a world potentially rich in discoveries.

Breton thus gradually became interested in the reviled practices of palmists, clairvoyants, and astrologers. For him it would only ever be a question of formally examining the beliefs of others. However, these astrological charts show how tempted he was to take the step from intellectual interest to belief. If they remained discreetly filed away in his personal archives, it is undoubtedly because he never permanently settled into this belief, experienced more as a temptation than as a faith.

The context should also be taken into account: a book like Arcane 17, in 1944, indisputably shifts towards a culture that in 1930 might have appeared retrograde and, moreover, contradictory to the positions taken by the surrealists on religion. At the time when Breton drew up these astrological charts, he was a long way from being able to make his interest public: this would contribute to blurring the ideological position of a group that remained under the spotlight, subjected to the suspicions of the ‘official’ Marxists, i.e., the Communist Party.

To demonstrate one's adherence to Marx's philosophy meant rejecting in advance the ‘opium of the people’, both official religion and popular superstition. The exhibition Le surréalisme en 1947 created some controversy with the Revolutionary Surrealists due to the religious dimension of the culture on display (the altars, the reference to myth). In the 1950s Breton finally became more openly involved with magic and occultism, but would continue taking a cultural approach. In this respect, L'Art magique (1957) was a key work in which Breton examined the history of art to argue that magic was its essential component from the days of cave art until the most recent manifestations of modern art.

[Atelier André Breton website, 2005]

 

Astrological chart, undated [circa 1926-1930].
- Louis Aragon’s Astrological Chart, written in ink by André Breton, 1 in-12° carré page. [Auction catalogue, 2003]

 

Translated by Michael Richardson and Krzysztof Fijalkowski

Creation date	circa 1926 - 1930
Bibliographical material	1 in-12° carré page.
Languages	French
Physical description	Ms - encre noire ; stylos vert et rouge ; crayon rouge sur papier blanc
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 2110
Keywords	Astrology
Categories	Archives, Andre Breton's Manuscripts
Set	[AB's Manuscripts] Thèmes astrologiques
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100657960

Description

Essai publié aux éditions Dorbon-Ainé à Paris en 1911. 

Seconde édition précédée d'une étude de Papus sur l'auteur et son œuvre et accompagné de 5 planches en couleurs, de 10 portraits et de 100 figures et tableaux. [catalogue de la vente, 2003]

 

Notice Sudoc

Bibliographical material	Paris, Dorbon-Ainé, 1911. Grand In-4°, couverture illustrée, broché.
Date of publication	1911
Publication	2st publication
Languages	French
Size	26,00 cm
Number of pages	332 p.
Publisher	Dorbon l'Ainé, Paris
Reference	6842000
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 1408
Keywords	Alchemy, Astrology, Magic, Sacred or Religion
Categories	Books, poems, fiction, non-fiction
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100236271

Description

Arthur Rimbaud’s Astrological Chart by André Breton, dating from around 1930.

We do not possess the sort of skill required to comment on this astrological chart of Arthur Rimbaud, which can be dated to around 1930, and we leave the reader to enjoy meandering through the interpretative fragments that follow, and which compose a kind of portrait - whether or not there is a resemblance is of little consequence.

Let’s note only that along with other astrological charts, it represents one of the major parts of Breton's archives, for a very simple reason: when they were discovered in 2003 it make it clear that Breton's interest in astrology had been much more committed than previously known. To know human destiny - this horizon appeared as early as the ‘sommeils’ of 1922, the period of sleeping-fits, when Desnos, encouraged by his friends’ repeated questions, made predictions that generally had little basis in any methodology. 

The 1925 ‘Letter to the Seers’ saw Breton increasingly commit himself to a more methodical approach, even though this method might hardly seem credible to a modern mind. But was it not a question, as early as the 1924 Manifesto, of breaking with the scientific spirit, whose aporias and inadequacies were all too evident? Henceforth, astrology and, more generally, the alchemical tradition, became established as alternative forms of knowledge, in the same way as myth, though not necessarily as a belief to which one was forced to adhere; rather as another way of seeing, a heterodox way of approaching the enigmas of a world potentially rich in discoveries.

Breton thus gradually became interested in the reviled practices of palmists, clairvoyants, and astrologers. For him it would only ever be a question of formally examining the beliefs of others. However, these astrological charts show how tempted he was to take the step from intellectual interest to belief. If they remained discreetly filed away in his personal archives, it is undoubtedly because he never permanently settled into this belief, experienced more as a temptation than as a faith.

The context should also be taken into account: a book like Arcane 17, in 1944, indisputably shifts towards a culture that in 1930 might have appeared retrograde and, moreover, contradictory to the positions taken by the surrealists on religion. At the time when Breton drew up these astrological charts, he was a long way from being able to make his interest public: this would contribute to blurring the ideological position of a group that remained under the spotlight, subjected to the suspicions of the ‘official’ Marxists, i.e., the Communist Party.

To demonstrate one's adherence to Marx's philosophy meant rejecting in advance the ‘opium of the people’, both official religion and popular superstition. The exhibition Le surréalisme en 1947 created some controversy with the Revolutionary Surrealists due to the religious dimension of the culture on display (the altars, the reference to myth). In the 1950s Breton finally became more openly involved with magic and occultism, but would continue taking a cultural approach. In this respect, L'Art magique (1957) was a key work in which Breton examined the history of art to argue that magic was its essential component from the days of cave art until the most recent manifestations of modern art. [Atelier André Breton website, 2005]

Arthur Rimbaud’s Astrological Chart, undated [circa 1930].
- Arthur Rimbaud’s astrological chart (circa 1930) written in ink by André Breton, 1 in-12° carré page. [Auction catalogue, 2003, Translated by Michael Richardson and Krzysztof Fijalkowski]

 

Creation date	circa 1930
Bibliographical material	1 in-12 carré page
Languages	French
Physical description	Ms - encre rouges, noire et bleue ; crayon sur papier blanc
Library	Médiathèque Voyelles, bibliothèque municipale de Charleville-Mezières : Fonds Rimbaud, AR 536 (128)
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 2160
Keywords	Astrology
Categories	Andre Breton's Manuscripts
Set	[AB's Manuscripts] Thèmes astrologiques
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100956700

Description

Astrological chart of Benjamin Péret by André Breton, dating from 1926 to 1930.

Together with the other astrological charts, this document represents one of the most important pieces from André Breton's archive. Not being discovered until 2003, it proves that Breton's interest in astrology might have taken on a more committed form than previously known. Dreaming about someone’s future in relation to the influence of their social or accidental determinations appears to have already been emerging in the 1922 "period of sleeping fits", during which, stimulated by the repeated questions of his friends, Robert Desnos was making some unusual predictions.

‘The Letter to the Seers’ of 1925 saw André Breton become more fully involve in developing an increasingly meticulous study, a method that might not seem very credible to a modern mind. But was it not a question, as early as the 1924 Manifesto, of breaking with the scientific spirit, whose aporias and deficiencies were all too obvious? From that point on, astrology and, more broadly, the alchemical tradition become an alternative culture, in the same way as myth: it was not a question of establishing a belief to which one would have to adhere, but of suggesting another way of seeing - approaching the enigmas of the world in a heterodox way, potentially rich in discoveries, especially in language.

Therefrom, André Breton gradually became interested in the derided practices of palmists, clairvoyants, and astrologers, though he always claimed that for him it was only a question of examining the beliefs of others. However, these astrological charts, which require a certain technical skill, nevertheless prove that he was tempted to make the leap from intellectual interest to belief. If they have remained discreetly filed in his personal archives, it is undoubtedly because this belief never permanently took hold, experienced as a temptation, not as a faith.

Another stage of his interest in how ‘clairvoyance’ is acquired can be seen in the Tarot de Marseille deck at the beginning of the 1940s, prior to the ‘Surrealism In 1947’ exhibition. This exhibition gave rise to some controversy, particularly with the ‘Revolutionary Surrealists’, due to the religious dimension of the pieces on display (the altars, the references to myth, etc.). Finally, in the 1950s, André Breton became more openly involved with magic and occultism, though continued to take a cultural approach: L'Art magique (1957) is a paradoxical step in this respect, taking, as it does, his interest in what is fundamentally irrational in art to its peak, to the point of positing an equivalence between ‘magic’ and Surrealist art as an inner experience. [Atelier André Breton website, 2005]

Astrological Chart, undated [circa 1926-1930].

- 1 page in-4°, astrological chart in ink of Benjamin Péret by André Breton (staining). [Sale Catalogue, 2003]

Creation date	circa 1926 - 1930
Bibliographical material	1 page in-4° - MS - red, black and green inks; pencil on white paper.
Languages	French
Library	Bibliothèque municipale de Nantes : Ms 3481
Number of pages	1 p.
Reference	1599000
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 2118
Keywords	Astrology
Categories	Archives, Andre Breton's Manuscripts
Set	[AB's Manuscripts] Thèmes astrologiques
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100820690

Description

Essai de Julliot de la Morandière paru aux éditions Falque en 1911.

Deuxième édition [sic].

Envoi autographe signé de l'auteur « à Monsieur Pedro Daura, avec l'excellent souvenir de Gabriel de la Morandière ». [catalogue de la vente, 2003]

 

Bibliographical material	Paris, Falque, 1911. In-12, broché.
Date of publication	1911
Publication	first publication
Languages	French
Publisher	H. Falque, éditeur, Paris
Reference	8629000
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 1385
Keywords	Astrology
Categories	Books, poems, fiction, non-fiction
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100449011

Description

Astrological chart of Charles Baudelaire by André Breton, dating from 1926 to 1930.

We do not possess the sort of skill required to comment on this astrological chart of Charles Baudelaire, which can be dated sometime between 1926 and 1930, and we leave the reader to enjoy meandering through the interpretative fragments that follow, and which compose a kind of portrait - whether or not there is a resemblance is of little consequence. Let’s note only that along with other astrological charts, it represents one of the major parts of Breton's archives, for a very simple reason: when they were discovered in 2003 it make it clear that Breton's interest in astrology had been much more committed than previously known. To know human destiny - this horizon appeared as early as the ‘sommeils’ of 1922, the period of sleeping-fits, when Desnos, encouraged by his friends’ repeated questions, made predictions that generally had little basis in any methodology. The 1925 ‘Letter to the Seers’ saw Breton increasingly commit himself to a more methodical approach, even though this method might hardly seem credible to a modern mind. But was it not a question, as early as the 1924 Manifesto, of breaking with the scientific spirit, whose aporias and inadequacies were all too evident? Henceforth, astrology and, more generally, the alchemical tradition, became established as alternative forms of knowledge, in the same way as myth, though not necessarily as a belief to which one was forced to adhere; rather as another way of seeing, a heterodox way of approaching the enigmas of a world potentially rich in discoveries. Breton thus gradually became interested in the reviled practices of palmists, clairvoyants, and astrologers. For him it would only ever be a question of formally examining the beliefs of others. However, these astrological charts show how tempted he was to take the step from intellectual interest to belief. If they remained discreetly filed away in his personal archives, it is undoubtedly because he never permanently settled into this belief, experienced more as a temptation than as a faith. The context should also be taken into account: a book like Arcane 17, in 1944, indisputably shifts towards a culture that in 1930 might have appeared retrograde and, moreover, contradictory to the positions taken by the surrealists on religion. At the time when Breton drew up these astrological charts, he was a long way from being able to make his interest public: this would contribute to blurring the ideological position of a group that remained under the spotlight, subjected to the suspicions of the "official" Marxists, i.e., the Communist Party. To demonstrate one's adherence to Marx's philosophy meant rejecting in advance the ‘opium of the people’, both official religion and popular superstition. The exhibition Le surréalisme en 1947 created some controversy with the Revolutionary Surrealists due to the religious dimension of the culture on display (the altars, the reference to myth). In the 1950s Breton finally became more openly involved with magic and occultism, but would continue taking a cultural approach. In this respect, L'Art magique (1957) was a key work in which Breton examined the history of art to argue that magic was its essential component from the days of cave art until the most recent manifestations of modern art. [Atelier André Breton website, 2005]

Astrological Theme, sd [circa 1926-1930].
- Astrological chart of Charles Baudelaire by André Breton in ink, 1 page in-12 square. [sale catalogue, 2003]

*This entry was translated from the French by Michael Richardson.

Creation date	circa 1926 - 1930
Bibliographical material	1 page in-12 square
Languages	French
Physical description	Ms - encres noire et rouge ; crayon sur papier blanc
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 2111
Keywords	Astrology
Categories	Archives, Andre Breton's Manuscripts
Set	[AB's Manuscripts] Thèmes astrologiques
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100482750

Description

Traité pratique d'astrologie, numéro 2 de la collection Correspondances paru en 1955 chez Grasset, rue des Saints-Pères, à Paris.

Édition originale.

Envoi autographe signé de l'auteur à Breton. [catalogue de la vente, 2003]

 

Notice Sudoc

Bibliographical material	Paris, Grasset, 1955. In-12, broché.
Date of publication	1955
Publication	first publication
Languages	French
Size	19,00 cm
Number of pages	295
Publisher	Grasset, Paris
Reference	7626000
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 1361
Keywords	Astrology
Categories	Books, poems, fiction, non-fiction
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100266721

Description

Thème astrologique de Paul Éluard par André Breton sur papier imprimé, datant environ de 1930.

Il faudrait une compétence que nous n'avons pas pour entreprendre le commentaire de ce thème astral de Max Ernst, qu'on peut dater des environs de 1930 ; nous laissons au lecteur le plaisir de s'égarer dans les fragments interprétatifs glissés à sa suite, et qui composent une manière de portrait - ressemblant, pas ressemblant, peu nous importe.

Notons plutôt qu'il représente avec les autres thèmes astraux une des pièces majeures des archives Breton, pour une raison toute simple : il a fallu attendre 2003 pour le retrouver, et prouver ainsi que l'intérêt de Breton pour l'astrologie avait pu prendre une forme plus engagée que celles qu'on lui connaissait jusqu'alors. Connaître le destin des hommes : on voit apparaître cet horizon dès les « sommeils » de 1922, quand Desnos, encouragé par les questions répétées de ses amis, se livre à des prédictions pour la plupart peu fondées en méthode.

La Lettre aux voyantes de 1925 voit Breton s'engager plus avant dans la découverte d'une culture plus méthodique, précisément, cette méthode pût-elle paraître peu crédible pour un esprit moderne. Mais ne s'agit-il pas, dès le Manifeste de 1924, de rompre avec l'esprit scientifique, dont les apories et les insuffisances sont par trop manifestes ? L'astrologie et plus largement la tradition alchimique, dès lors, s'imposent comme une culture alternative, de la même façon que le mythe : non pas forcément une croyance à laquelle on serait sommé d'adhérer, mais un autre moyen de voir, une façon hétérodoxe et potentiellement riche de découvertes d'approcher les énigmes du monde.

Breton s'intéresse ainsi peu à peu aux pratiques méprisées des chiromanciennes, voyantes et autres astrologues. Officiellement, il ne s'agira jamais pour lui que de visiter les croyances des autres ; ces thèmes astraux prouvent cependant que de l'intérêt intellectuel à la croyance, il a pu être tenté de franchir le pas. S'ils sont restés discrètement classés dans ses archives personnelles, c'est sans doute qu'il ne s'est jamais durablement installé dans cette croyance, vécue plutôt comme tentation que comme une foi.

Il faut aussi prendre en compte le contexte : un livre comme Arcane 17, en 1944, s'avance franchement vers une culture qui pouvait apparaître en 1930 comme rétrograde et de surcroît contradictoire avec les prises de positions des surréalistes en matière de religion. À l'époque où Breton fait établir ces thèmes astraux, il s'en faut de beaucoup pour qu'il puisse rendre public cet intérêt : cela contribuerait à brouiller la position idéologique d'un groupe qui reste sur la sellette, en butte à la suspicion des marxistes « officiels », c'est-à-dire du P.C.

Afficher son adhésion à la philosophie de Marx, c'est récuser par avance tous les « opiums du peuple », religions officielles comme superstitions populaires. Une première étape est franchie avec les Tarots de Marseille, à l'aube des années 1940, avant l'exposition Le surréalisme en 1947, qui suscitera quelques polémiques avec les Surréalistes révolutionnaires du fait de la dimension religieuse de la culture qui s'y donne à voir (les autels, la référence au mythe). Dans les années 1950, enfin, Breton fréquentera plus franchement les parages de la magie et de l'occultisme, mais continuera de s'en tenir à une approche culturelle : L'Art magique de 1957 constitue à cet égard une étape paradoxale, en poussant à son paroxysme l'affirmation d'un intérêt pour le paranormal, tout en le dissolvant dans une expérience intérieure qui trouve dans l'art moderne son expression la plus élaborée. [site Atelier André Breton, 2005]

Thème astrologique, sd [circa 1930].
- Thème astrologique de Paul Éluard (circa 1930) par André Breton sur papier imprimé, 1 page in-4°, avec une notice contrecollée sur papier jonquille des 12 planètes.

 

Creation date	circa 1930
Bibliographical material	1 page in-4° - Ms - encre rouge et bleu sur papiers blanc et orange
Languages	French
Reference	1598000
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 2155
Keywords	Astrology
Set	[AB's Manuscripts] Thèmes astrologiques
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100489830

Description

Thème astrologique de Max Ernst et développement manuscrit par Valentine Penrose, datant environ de 1930.

Il faudrait une compétence que nous n'avons pas pour entreprendre le commentaire de ce thème astral de Max Ernst, qu'on peut dater des environs de 1930 ; nous laissons au lecteur le plaisir de s'égarer dans les fragments interprétatifs glissés à sa suite, et qui composent une manière de portrait - ressemblant, pas ressemblant, peu nous importe.

Notons plutôt qu'il représente avec les autres thèmes astraux une des pièces majeures des archives Breton, pour une raison toute simple : il a fallu attendre 2003 pour le retrouver, et prouver ainsi que l'intérêt de Breton pour l'astrologie avait pu prendre une forme plus engagée que celles qu'on lui connaissait jusqu'alors. Connaître le destin des hommes : on voit apparaître cet horizon dès les « sommeils » de 1922, quand Desnos, encouragé par les questions répétées de ses amis, se livre à des prédictions pour la plupart peu fondées en méthode.

La Lettre aux voyantes de 1925 voit Breton s'engager plus avant dans la découverte d'une culture plus méthodique, précisément, cette méthode pût-elle paraître peu crédible pour un esprit moderne. Mais ne s'agit-il pas, dès le Manifeste de 1924, de rompre avec l'esprit scientifique, dont les apories et les insuffisances sont par trop manifestes ? L'astrologie et plus largement la tradition alchimique, dès lors, s'imposent comme une culture alternative, de la même façon que le mythe : non pas forcément une croyance à laquelle on serait sommé d'adhérer, mais un autre moyen de voir, une façon hétérodoxe et potentiellement riche de découvertes d'approcher les énigmes du monde.

Breton s'intéresse ainsi peu à peu aux pratiques méprisées des chiromanciennes, voyantes et autres astrologues. Officiellement, il ne s'agira jamais pour lui que de visiter les croyances des autres ; ces thèmes astraux prouvent cependant que de l'intérêt intellectuel à la croyance, il a pu être tenté de franchir le pas. S'ils sont restés discrètement classés dans ses archives personnelles, c'est sans doute qu'il ne s'est jamais durablement installé dans cette croyance, vécue plutôt comme tentation que comme une foi.

Il faut aussi prendre en compte le contexte : un livre comme Arcane 17, en 1944, s'avance franchement vers une culture qui pouvait apparaître en 1930 comme rétrograde et de surcroît contradictoire avec les prises de positions des surréalistes en matière de religion. À l'époque où Breton fait établir ces thèmes astraux, il s'en faut de beaucoup pour qu'il puisse rendre public cet intérêt : cela contribuerait à brouiller la position idéologique d'un groupe qui reste sur la sellette, en butte à la suspicion des marxistes « officiels », c'est-à-dire du P.C.

Afficher son adhésion à la philosophie de Marx, c'est récuser par avance tous les « opiums du peuple », religions officielles comme superstitions populaires. Une première étape est franchie avec les Tarots de Marseille, à l'aube des années 1940, avant l'exposition Le surréalisme en 1947, qui suscitera quelques polémiques avec les Surréalistes révolutionnaires du fait de la dimension religieuse de la culture qui s'y donne à voir (les autels, la référence au mythe). Dans les années 1950, enfin, Breton fréquentera plus franchement les parages de la magie et de l'occultisme, mais continuera de s'en tenir à une approche culturelle : L'Art magique de 1957 constitue à cet égard une étape paradoxale, en poussant à son paroxysme l'affirmation d'un intérêt pour le paranormal, tout en le dissolvant dans une expérience intérieure qui trouve dans l'art moderne son expression la plus élaborée. [site Atelier André Breton, 2005]

Thème astrologique de Max Ernst (circa 1930).
- 8 pages in-4° à l'encre de la main de Valentine Penrose développant le thème astral de Max Ernst. [catalogue de la vente, 2003]

 

Creation date	circa 1930
Bibliographical material	8 pages in-4° - Ms - encre noire ; crayon rouge sur papier blanc
Languages	French
Reference	1610000
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 2154
Keywords	Astrology
Categories	Surrealists Manuscripts
Set	[AB's Manuscripts] Thèmes astrologiques
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100428620

Description

Essai paru aux Éditions Traditionelles à Paris en 1949.

Troisième édition. [catalogue de la vente, 2003]

 

Notice Sudoc

Bibliographical material	Paris, Éditions Traditionnelles, 1949. In-8°, broché.
Date of publication	1949
Publication	3st publication
Languages	French
Size	21,00 cm
Number of pages	70 p.
Publisher	Les Éditions Traditionnelles
Reference	6799000
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 1386
Keywords	Alchemy, Astrology, Divination, Magic
Categories	Books, poems, fiction, non-fiction
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100182501

Description

Publiée dans Documents 34. Intervention surréaliste, cette "Communication relative au hasard objectif" sera reprise dans le recueil des poèmes-objets de Breton, Je vois, j'imagine. Du quotidien dans ce qu'il a de plus prosaïque à l'intrusion d'éléments irrationnels, en passant par l'accident décisif qui permet de passer de l'un à l'autre, le texte se déploie sur un registre autobiographique (comme Les Vases communiquants, Nadja ou plus tard L'Amour fou) et fait intervenir la notion hégélienne de "hasard objectif", comme une garantie contre la séduction d'interprétations magiques de la merveille.

Manuscrit
encre verte sur papier vergé gris bleu

Creation date	sd
Languages	French
Physical description	Ms
Reference	431000
Keywords	Astrology
Set	[AB's Manuscripts] Miscellaneous Manuscripts
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100461680

Description

Essai publié aux éditions Dorbon l'Aîné à Paris.

Nouvelle édition illustrée de 22 figures kabbalistiques. [catalogue de la vente, 2003]

 

Notice Wolrdcat

Bibliographical material	Paris, Dorbon l'Aîné, s.d. In-12, broché.
Date of publication	s.d
Publication	2st publication
Languages	French
Number of pages	455 p.
Publisher	Dorbon l'Ainé, Paris
Reference	6687000
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 1376
Keywords	Graphic Arts, Astrology, Divination, Magic
Categories	Books, poems, fiction, non-fiction
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100625121

Description

Lautréamont’s Astrological Chart and manuscript elaboration by André Breton, dated between 1926 and 1930.

 

We do not possess the sort of skill required to comment on this astrological chart of Lautréamont, which can be dated to around 1930, and we leave the reader to enjoy meandering through the interpretative fragments that follow, and which compose a kind of portrait - whether or not there is a resemblance is of little consequence.

Let’s note only that along with other astrological charts, it represents one of the major parts of Breton's archives, for a very simple reason: when they were discovered in 2003 it make it clear that Breton's interest in astrology had been much more committed than previously known. To know human destiny - this horizon appeared as early as the ‘sommeils’ of 1922, the period of sleeping-fits, when Desnos, encouraged by his friends’ repeated questions, made predictions that generally had little basis in any methodology. 

The 1925 ‘Letter to the Seers’ saw Breton increasingly commit himself to a more methodical approach, even though this method might hardly seem credible to a modern mind. But was it not a question, as early as the 1924 Manifesto, of breaking with the scientific spirit, whose aporias and inadequacies were all too evident? Henceforth, astrology and, more generally, the alchemical tradition, became established as alternative forms of knowledge, in the same way as myth, though not necessarily as a belief to which one was forced to adhere; rather as another way of seeing, a heterodox way of approaching the enigmas of a world potentially rich in discoveries.

Breton thus gradually became interested in the reviled practices of palmists, clairvoyants, and astrologers. For him it would only ever be a question of formally examining the beliefs of others. However, these astrological charts show how tempted he was to take the step from intellectual interest to belief. If they remained discreetly filed away in his personal archives, it is undoubtedly because he never permanently settled into this belief, experienced more as a temptation than as a faith.

The context should also be taken into account: a book like Arcane 17, in 1944, indisputably shifts towards a culture that in 1930 might have appeared retrograde and, moreover, contradictory to the positions taken by the surrealists on religion. At the time when Breton drew up these astrological charts, he was a long way from being able to make his interest public: this would contribute to blurring the ideological position of a group that remained under the spotlight, subjected to the suspicions of the ‘official’ Marxists, i.e., the Communist Party.

To demonstrate one's adherence to Marx's philosophy meant rejecting in advance the ‘opium of the people’, both official religion and popular superstition. The exhibition Le surréalisme en 1947 created some controversy with the Revolutionary Surrealists due to the religious dimension of the culture on display (the altars, the reference to myth). In the 1950s Breton finally became more openly involved with magic and occultism, but would continue taking a cultural approach. In this respect, L'Art magique (1957) was a key work in which Breton examined the history of art to argue that magic was its essential component from the days of cave art until the most recent manifestations of modern art.

[Atelier André Breton website, 2005]

 

Astrological chart, undated [circa 1926-1930].
- 1 large in-4° page, an astrological chart of Isidore Ducasse, comte de Lautréamont in ink by André Breton.
- 2 1/2 large in-4° pages, in Breton’s hand, elaborating Lautréamont’s astral chart, with an annotation: ‘false’. [Auction catalogue, 2003]

 

Translated by Michael Richardson and Krzysztof Fijalkowski

Creation date	circa 1926 - 1930
Bibliographical material	4 large in-4° pages; manuscript in black, red and blue ink and pencil on white paper.
Languages	French
Number of pages	4 p.
Reference	1609000
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 2117
Keywords	Astrology
Categories	Archives, Andre Breton's Manuscripts
Set	[AB's Manuscripts] Thèmes astrologiques
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100674290

Description

J.-K. Huysmans’ Astrological Chart (circa 1926-1930) in ink by André Breton. The elaboration of Huysmans’ astral chart in André Breton’s hand.

 

We do not possess the sort of skill required to comment on this astrological chart of J.-K. Huysmans, which can be dated to between 1926 and 1930, and we leave the reader to enjoy meandering through the interpretative fragments that follow, and which compose a kind of portrait - whether or not there is a resemblance is of little consequence.

Let’s note only that along with other astrological charts, it represents one of the major parts of Breton's archives, for a very simple reason: when they were discovered in 2003 it make it clear that Breton's interest in astrology had been much more committed than previously known. To know human destiny - this horizon appeared as early as the ‘sommeils’ of 1922, the period of sleeping-fits, when Desnos, encouraged by his friends’ repeated questions, made predictions that generally had little basis in any methodology. 

The 1925 ‘Letter to the Seers’ saw Breton increasingly commit himself to a more methodical approach, even though this method might hardly seem credible to a modern mind. But was it not a question, as early as the 1924 Manifesto, of breaking with the scientific spirit, whose aporias and inadequacies were all too evident? Henceforth, astrology and, more generally, the alchemical tradition, became established as alternative forms of knowledge, in the same way as myth, though not necessarily as a belief to which one was forced to adhere; rather as another way of seeing, a heterodox way of approaching the enigmas of a world potentially rich in discoveries.

Breton thus gradually became interested in the reviled practices of palmists, clairvoyants, and astrologers. For him it would only ever be a question of formally examining the beliefs of others. However, these astrological charts show how tempted he was to take the step from intellectual interest to belief. If they remained discreetly filed away in his personal archives, it is undoubtedly because he never permanently settled into this belief, experienced more as a temptation than as a faith.

The context should also be taken into account: a book like Arcane 17, in 1944, indisputably shifts towards a culture that in 1930 might have appeared retrograde and, moreover, contradictory to the positions taken by the surrealists on religion. At the time when Breton drew up these astrological charts, he was a long way from being able to make his interest public: this would contribute to blurring the ideological position of a group that remained under the spotlight, subjected to the suspicions of the ‘official’ Marxists, i.e., the Communist Party.

To demonstrate one's adherence to Marx's philosophy meant rejecting in advance the ‘opium of the people’, both official religion and popular superstition. The exhibition Le surréalisme en 1947 created some controversy with the Revolutionary Surrealists due to the religious dimension of the culture on display (the altars, the reference to myth). In the 1950s Breton finally became more openly involved with magic and occultism, but would continue taking a cultural approach. In this respect, L'Art magique (1957) was a key work in which Breton examined the history of art to argue that magic was its essential component from the days of cave art until the most recent manifestations of modern art.

[Atelier André Breton website, 2005]

 

Astrological Chart, undated [circa 1926-1930].
1 large in-4° page, astrological chart of J.-K. Huysmans by André Breton in ink.
2 in-4° pages in Breton’s hand elaborating on Huysmans’ astral chart (frayed margins). [Auction catalogue, 2003]

 

Translated by Michael Richardson and Krzysztof Fijalkowski

Creation date	circa 1926 - 1930
Bibliographical material	1 large in-4° page; 2 in-4° pages.
Languages	French
Physical description	Ms - encres noire, verte et rouge ; crayon sur papier blanc
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 2115
Keywords	Astrology
Categories	Archives, Andre Breton's Manuscripts
Set	[AB's Manuscripts] Thèmes astrologiques
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100367150

Description

Numéro 1 de la nouvelle série de la revue Médium, publiée en novembre 1953 sous la direction de Jean Schuster.

Ce numéro est consacré à Simon Hantaï.

Il contient une gravure signée de Hantaï et 3 papiers muraux provenant de « la folie » du désert de Retz.

La collection complète de Médium, Communication surréaliste contient 4 volumes in-4º. Couvertures illustrées par Hantaï, Paalen, Svanberg, Lam. Brochés. Collection complète de la nouvelle série. Textes de Breton, Péret, Legrand, Goldfayn, Dax, etc. Un des 50 premiers exemplaires de luxe comportant pour chaque numéro une illustration originale. [catalogue de la vente, 2003]

 

Bibliography

- Marguerite Bonnet et Jacqueline Chénieux, Revues surréalistes françaises autour d'André Breton 1948-1972, Kraus International publication, 1982, p. 34-63

Les textes d'André Breton publiés dans ce numéro sont reproduits et annotés dans la bibliothèque de la Pléiade :
- André Breton (Édition de Marguerite Bonnet avec la collaboration de Philippe Bernier, Marie-Claire Dumas, Étienne-Alain Hubert et José Pierre),  « Médium, Informations surréalistes » (notes), Alentours II, Œuvres complètes, tome III, Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, Paris, Gallimard, 1999, p. 1100-1104, notice p. 1466-1467

Notice Sudoc

Médium, revue, 1

Open the pdf in the browser download

Bibliographical material	s.l. [Paris], s.é. [Arcanes], N° 1 de novembre 1953. Volume in-4°. Couverture illustrée.
Issue	1
Date of publication	01/11/1953
Publication	first publication
Languages	French
Size	19,00 x 28,50 cm
Number of pages	16 p.
Publisher	Arcanes, Paris
Reference	6499000
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 1174
Keywords	Graphic Arts, Astrology, Philosophy, Politics
Categories	Books, Catalogs, Journals, Journals
Set	[Journal] Médium
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100999938

See also