Brief aan Françoise W.M. Bonger Possibly 1965

Curator: What we're looking at is titled "Brief aan Françoise W.M. Bonger" which translates to "Letter to Françoise W.M. Bonger." This print on paper, likely made in 1965, comes to us from the hand of André Gloeckner. The question it inspires, for me, is a simple yet persistent one: What could it feel like to receive it? Editor: There’s an austere elegance in its composition. The letterhead, the formal address, the perfectly justified block of text, and even the slightly askew signature create this tension, a very controlled aesthetic with subtle imperfections. I get this strange impression, a melancholy feeling that pervades the surface. It’s as if a ghost of a bygone era lingers within this photographically captured note. Curator: Well, the letter hints at a fascinating exchange. Gloeckner, working with Vallardi in Milan, is preparing a book on Odilon Redon, and he’s writing to Françoise Bonger, the widow of Redon's close friend and champion, asking permission to photograph some paintings from her collection—specifically, ones selected by the author Jean Sels, and most specifically a painting called "Le Citron et le Piment" - “The Lemon and the Chili Pepper”. Editor: The mention of specific materials—an Ektachrome transparency of a precise size—highlights a very technical, almost scientific approach, doesn't it? It is interesting to look closely at how the artist’s handwriting contrasts so much against the uniform typography above. Almost like two worlds colliding… Curator: Indeed, it bridges two very different realms: the industrial, objective world of reproduction, and the more subjective space of artistic vision. To me it brings up so many layers of intimacy - one artists’ personal touch trying to communicate to another's inheritor on paper which may one day stand in for the final work of yet another. What a web of influence and impression! Editor: You know, I see a lot of beauty in the unedited authenticity of its surface. I almost sense a genuine voice echoing through all of this. A delicate artifact holding so much potential. It also reminds me that behind the images we cherish there is an ecosystem made of personal letters and very personal communication. Curator: A fitting piece to ponder—both beautiful and intriguing—about art and human connection!