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4.Specific issues related to historical awareness
4-4.Alleged falsification since the first edition of the French original of "Dialogues with Duchamp" by Pierre Cabanne.
As I pointed out in point 1, the Japanese translation of Pierre Cabannes' Dialogues with Duchamp, based on the first edition of the French original, states that "In 1912, Marcel Duchamp, together with Picabia and Gabrielle Buffet, Picabia's wife, saw Raymond Roussel's "Impressions of Africa" at the Antoine Theatre. But The original French and English translations I have referenced state that "In 1911, Marcel Duchamp, Picabia, Gabriel Buffet, and Apollinaire saw a performance of "Impressions of Africa" at the Théâtre Antoine," which does not match the content.
Raymond Roussel's "Impressions of Africa" had its premiere at the Femina in Paris in 1911, and was revived the following year at the Antoine in 1912. It was supposed to be a 1912 revival at the Antoine Theatre that Marcel Duchamp, Picabia, and others saw the play.
In "Duchamp Biography," it is also said that Apollinaire accompanied him to this play, but in three other interviews, Marcel Duchamp stated that he first met Apollinaire in October 1912, which was pointed out to be inconsistent.
In her book, "RENCONTRES-avec PICABIA, APOLLINAIRE, CRAVAN, DUCHAMP, ARP, CALDER," published in 1977, when Gabriel Buffet-Picabia was 96, it was written, "I met him [Apollinaire] for the first time in Hythe, England, in July 1912. It would disprove that Apollinaire could not have been accompanied to this May or June 1912 viewing of "Impressions of Africa" which was staged at the Théâtre Antoine in Paris from May 11 to June 10, 1912. Marcel Duchamp had died in 1968, so the book was published nine years later. Francis Picabia had also died in 1953 at the age of 74. Gabriel Buffet-Picabia survived until 1985 at the age of 104. At the end of the description of Apollinaire in this book, she wrote: "Le Point, 1936."
In July, roughly a month after May or June of 1912, when they went to see "Impressions of Africa," she had left her husband Picabia in Paris to escape the hustle and bustle of Paris, taking only her two children alone for a quiet summer vacation in the remote English town of Hythe. Gabriel Buffet wrote, "It seemed to me that crossing the English Channel should separate me advantageously." But suddenly and unexpectedly, her husband Picabia drove up to the villa she had rented and brought Apollinaire with him. She wrote that this was Gabrielle Buffet's first meeting with Guillaume Apollinaire. Picabia and Apollinaire's drive-in inevitably ended Gabrielle Buffet's vacation, which had just begun in Hythe, England, "but how could I complain?" She wrote.
The son of a wealthy family, Francis Picabia was known for being a car enthusiast who always drove sports cars. Picabia is said to have bought 127 cars in his lifetime.
It was written that the Picabia had driven to Hythe, England, in a car that also had its windshield and mudguards removed, in an attempt to get the car to speed up at this time. Even convertible cars usually have only a windshield. If there were no windshield, the driver and passengers would be wind from the front side of the vehicle. This is even more so if the car speeds up. Perhaps the Futurist insistence was more to Picabia's liking than Cubism, but after seeing "Impressions of Africa," Picabia may have been a bit more eccentric. This may have been why Gabrielle Buffet had left her husband Picabia in Paris and taken only their two children to Hythe, England, with the idea of crossing over to the English Channel to "separate me advantageously." The name of the small town of Hythe in Kent, England (which still has a population of about 14,000) meant "refuge" or "landing place" in Old English.
Of Picabia and Apollinaire, who drove to Hythe in a car without a windshield, "They were dying of hunger and thirst, yet they said nothing about washing before being recovered." Gabriel Buffet wrote. Gabriel Buffet served them a quick meal, and they quickly devoured two days' worth of food that they had bought. And she wrote that he was amazed at the size of their stomachs.
Art critic Guillaume Apollinaire was to give a lecture in Paris to a specific audience, and it was written that Picabia had met Apollinaire just the evening before. Apollinaire was not prepared to say a word for that lecture, so he apparently recommended that Picabia shrug off the lecture and escape by car. To say that he was unprepared for a single word seems a bit of an exaggeration, but Apollinaire was also not very enthusiastic about the lecture, so Picabia probably had him cancel at the last minute and invited him to take a road trip to Haith, where Gabriel Buffet was staying. Then it seemed that the two of them got into a car without a windshield and drove up to Gabriel Buffet, who was staying in Hythe, England. It is almost as if Picabia and others are not acting on the ground. It seems as if Gabriel Buffet had temporarily evacuated to Hythe, England, with only their two children to ensure that their children would not be affected by such picabia.
Gabriel Buffet first met Apollinaire in July 1912. July 1912 is when Marcel went to Munich and began staying in an apartment in the Schwabing district. If, as Tomkins wrote in his book, Marcel was on the train to Munich a week after seeing "Impressions of Africa," it was almost certainly the last day they saw the play. If, as mentioned in Mr. Tompkins' book, Marcel took the train to Munich a week after watching "Impressions of Africa," then it is possible that they watched the play on its final day, June 10th
As one conjecture, after being deeply impressed by "Impressions of Africa," Picabia, filled with excitement, immediately took Marcel with him and hurriedly went to visit Raymond Roussel, who was secluded in a carriage. Gabrielle Buffet might have returned home alone after watching the play, as she had two young children to take care of. And then, Marcel, being told by Raymond Roussel, "Go to Munich to threaten the painter (caw-paiter)," departed for Munich around June 17th, one week after that encounter.
Then, after stopping in Basel and Konstanz, Switzerland, for a few days along the way, they would have arrived at Munich station on the night of June 21.
Then, probably around August, Gabriel Buffet received a letter from Marcel, returned to France from England, and they had a secret meeting alone at the train station in Andros. At this time, Gabriel Buffet was staying at her mother's house in Etival with her two children, but because she had some business to go to Paris, she left the two children with her mother and was on her way back to Paris. She replied to Marcel that she would have time to meet him during the train transfer at Andro, the transfer station. Gabrielle Buffet wrote that she did not think Marcel would actually come to Andelot, so she was surprised when he arrived. In other words, Gabrielle Buffet had no intention of meeting Marcel, who went to Munich. Gabrielle Buffet received a letter from Marcel expressing a strong desire to meet with her alone. However, she thought that if she responded in such a way, he wouldn't actually come all the way to Andelot, and she believed that would allow her to avoid meeting him. Indeed, since Marcel did come from Munich to Andelot, Gabrielle Buffet wrote of Marcel's actions as "a kind of madness, folly." And Gabrielle Buffet wrote that there were times when the "sad young man in the train" transformed into a captivating and impressive incarnation of Lucifer.
This book by Gabriel Buffet does not seem to mention that "secret meeting in Andro". Gabrielle Buffet's memoirs, as written in Tomkins' book, are believed to be other accounts.
Then, in September, Marcel left Munich and, after visiting various museums and other places, returned from the Jura to Paris in Picabia's car.
Then, in October, Picabia, Marcel, and Apollinaire went on a vacation trip to Etival, where Gabrielle Buffet's mother's family lives, and for Marcel, it was probably his first meeting with Apollinaire around that time. Picabia may have been trying to get Marcel to meet Apollinaire when he returned from Munich.
Or perhaps Gabrielle Buffet continued to stay at her mother's family home in Etival with her children until this past October. Gabrielle Buffet separated from Picabia with her children and may have been considering divorce. This time, however, Picabia may have come barging into Etival again, this time with Apollinaire and even Marcel, who had returned from Munich. So I guess Gabriel Buffet did not divorce Picabia after all. Picabia may have become involved with Raymond Roussel after seeing "Impressions of Africa." And Gabriel Buffet must have gotten herself into a hell of a lot of trouble because she went with Picabia and Marcel to see the play "Impressions of Africa".
And in November 1912, Franz Kafka was writing his novel "Metamorphosis."
It would not be true that "in 1911, Marcel Duchamp, along with Picabia, Gabriel Buffet, and Apollinaire, saw "Impressions of Africa" at the Antoine." In this case, the Japanese translation, which is based on the 1967 first edition of the French original, seems to be correct: "In 1912, Marcel, Picabia, and Gabriel Buffet saw the play "Impressions of Africa" at the Antoine Theater." One would have to assume that the French original was falsified in subsequent editions of the first edition, and that the English translation is based on it.
Since this 1912 viewing of "Impressions of Africa" was one of the key events in Marcel's subsequent decision to go to Munich and his transformation, it is suspected that the French original of "Conversations with Duchamp" was falsified after the first edition to cover it up.
5. Outline of the organized crime that has been suffered for 10 years due to the leak of the information in this discussion.(to next page)
(to English top page)
(c) Satoshi Furui 2024
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