Joyeux Anniversaire, André Salmon, à 145!
André Salmon and Pierre Charbonnier (1897-1978) photographed by Berenice Abbott, 1925. Source: Getty Images
This photograph of poet, critique, journalist, novelist, playwright, and memoirist André Salmon overlapping the image of artist, set designer, and filmmaker Pierre Charbonnier, taken by the esteemed American talent Berenice Abbott, speaks volumes about Salmon's artistic connections among the best-known modernists contributing to French culture. Here we are in the heyday of their exuberance, the Roaring '20s, when Montparnasse served as the incubator and launchpad for anyone eager to succeed in avant-garde arts and letters.
Notice how Abbott puts Salmon's body is in the foreground. That's where he belongs, leading the pack toward their recognition. In today's parlance, he was an "influencer." He published critiques and announcements in all the significant media at that time: newspapers, magazines, journals, catalogue essays, books, and curatorial ventures. The weight of Salmon's endorsements has been described in many sources, and yet he still remains a mysterious figure for the general public in comparison to those whom he supported through his efforts - most notably, Picasso, Modigliani, Chagall, Marie Laurencin, Pascin, and so forth.
For more information about André Salmon's life, influences, and publications, consult our website: andrésalmon.org.
Joyeux Anniversaire, André -
May your 145th year be your "breakout" moment!
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