Antoine Bourdelle discovered Beethoven's music while he was studying in Toulouse. From then on, he was passionate about the man and artist. Between 1888 and 1929, he created some 80 sculptures and numerous drawings in his likeness.
Around 1903, shortly after the French state purchased one of his busts of Beethoven, Bourdelle recorded his anticipated recognition in a notebook, along with his questions and doubts about the creation. The notebook includes reading notes, ink sketches, press cuttings and letters from Matisse, Carrière and Carolus-Duran, in no apparent order.
The notebook opens with a quote by Beethoven, “I am the Bacchus who squeezes this delicious nectar for men.” A few pages later, in a letter to the musicographer Camille Bellaigue, Bourdelle reveals the object of his obsession: “It will take me my whole life [...] to build the Beethovens that shine before my mind [...]. And I would add that this irresistible attraction to this great figure is a moral support for me, a consolation in my sorrows.” (Translated from French)
Claire Boisserolles
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