182 - BRETON (André), 1896–1966.

BRETON (André), 1896–1966. Autograph letter signed “André Breton,” Paris, February 26, 1954, 1 p., ½ large quarto. An interesting letter regarding the sensational “mammoth affair” at the Pech-Merle cave and Breton’s doubts about the authenticity of certain prehistoric paintings. On July 24, 1952, during a visit to the Pech-Merle Cave in Cabrerets (Lot), André Breton ran his finger over the trunk of a mammoth painted on the cave wall, whose age he questioned. Since the line had partially faded, a heated altercation ensued between him and Abel Bessac, a member of the National Assembly from the Lot department and the husband of the cave’s concessionaire. Prosecuted for damaging a historic monument, Breton was convicted by the Cahors court in late 1953. The case caused a major stir and sparked a controversy pitting writers against prehistorians, among others. A few months after the trial, Breton thanks his correspondent here for providing him with testimony that, he asserts, would have considerably strengthened his defense: “If only I had had your testimony sooner. The entire course of this trial would have been different.” He reveals that several people who could have testified were unable to be called, particularly regarding certain “embellishments” in the Pech-Merle cave and the “sealing of stalagmites using sections of stalactite needles that littered the floor”". Breton explains that he therefore had to adopt a cautious line of defense in court, presenting his action as “purely reflexive” and avoiding directly questioning the authenticity of the paintings. This caution, he believes, allowed him to “not get off so lightly in this matter.” After recounting the facts, the second part of the letter broadens to include more artistic considerations. His correspondent’s account “very effectively corroborates [his] feeling”: Breton draws a parallel between prolonged contemplation of rock walls and the appearance of chance images, a phenomenon he associates with Leonardo da Vinci and Piero di Cosimo. Finally, he contrasts the cave art complexes—whose authenticity he in no way disputes, namely Altamira and Font-de-Gaume—with those at Cabrerets: “The least one can say is that those at Cabrerets, from an artistic standpoint, are less immediately compelling.”"