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Vollar - continued

In 1905 Vollar bought the studio - that is, all existing works - Derain.
In 1906 he repeated the operation with Vlaminck.
After the war he continued to accumulate. Exhibitions interested him less and less. He has a new passion: in 1900 he discovered the charms of publishing.
I have already said that Vollar was an ardent admirer of Alfred Jarry, the permanent members "underground dinner". He issued a private second Almanac dad Yubyu . Inspired personadem Yubyu himself Vollar wrote a little farce, Yubyu in the hospital, which during the war played on the front. In the same vein were written by Reincarnation dad Yubyu , illustrated by Georges Rouault.

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Vollar liked to write. He recorded all his memories, all the comments about his profession and artists with whom he spoke - a book listened to Cezanne, Degas, Renoir and Memoirs Marchand's paintings , which were issued shortly before the Second World War. They said - and this was true - that his brother Lucien had given him great assistance in writing these books. Be that as it may, they are extremely useful to historians of art, as they unusually large number of indications "of first refusal" on the way to work and how they lived, these great artists, although Vollar not always been astute, particularly in relation to Cezanne which he described several superficial.

But a new hobby Vollara swallowed it all the more. He took up the publication of copyright books and asked the artists, vhzodivshih in his circle, to do the engraving. At that time it was quite a bold undertaking, because the artists were rarely familiar with the technique of engraving. Obviously, some of these hudzhnikov engraving liked, as Cezanne, Vuillard, Maurice Denis, Sisley, Toulouse-Lautrec and Munch (I'm sure many have forgotten) participated in this event. So there Albums artists engravers , issued every edition of one hundred copies. The first copy was sold for a hundred francs, the second - a hundred and thirty.
Bibliophiles and art lovers met these albums without much enthusiasm - the novelty is always alarming.

For twenty years, Vollara kept in stock pile of these albums.
Now they are a fortune.

It neobeskurazhenny, Vollar continued to engage in publishing activities - with the same passion, with the same vigor with which he would find new talent.

His new formula was as follows: he took the already published, well-known texts (with few exceptions) - from Virgil to Octave Mirbeau - and gave to illustrate their artists. As an exception to the book Degas, Dance, Painting , he asked Paul Valéry to write text to the already established works of Degas.

He used a very rare paper (Chinese and Japanese "Great Paper"), the most sophisticated fonts and turned to the best professionals, printers. But despite this attention to quality, most publications had no success.
First, he started having problems with the censors. In 1900, he issued parallel - Verlaine's poem, illustrated with lithographs of Bonnard. Risunkisanginoy framed texts on each page. In my opinion, this is the most successful book Vollara, both in terms of drawings, and the text and Technology recruitment.

Bonnard painted the first version of the cover, then, seeing an incredibly violent negative editor, which he called, made the second option. Nevertheless, the book deemed "immoral", the question was raised about it, even in Parliament. Because of this scandal, the book sold poorly - yes, then the morals were different - bibliophiles avert nose. Nowadays it is very rare and very welcome book, it is very expensive. Actually, almost all books published Vollarom, very expensive, to the extent that they often cripple - cut engravings illustrating them in order to sell them individually, for example, such a fate befell illustrations by Picasso.
In its editorial edyatelnosti Vollar often faced prejudice. Thus, in 1900, the national printing house refused to print Torture Garden Octave Mirbeau lithographs Rodin, on the pretext that it was pornographic ...
All this cost Vollaru very expensive, but he did not surrender.
I remember in 1929, in the midst of economic crisis, one day I saw a truck stopped at his mansion.
The stevedores were torn down and his paintings by Degas, Renoir, Gauguin ...
The truck was supposed to deliver the precious cargo to the Customs - Vollar sent him to the United States, he needed the money.

Many of her dreams of books have been carried out only after his death. For some it was too late, as, for example, Theogony Gessioda published by the Fund Meg in 1955 I, in turn, issued Madness Ronsard with illustrations by Maillol and finished publication Natural History Buffon, illustrated by Picasso.
With regard to the texts, illustrated by Chagall, they issued the artist himself.
On this occasion, I remember once present at the conversation between Vollarom, Edouard Erio and Anatole France.
They talked about us, and showed them Vollar Chagall gouache, which were to decorate Fables La Fontaine.
Both men were terrified.
- My dear friend, how you can instruct the Russian artist illyustrovat most famous of our poets!
It is clear that for them it was indecent.
Vollar somewhat taken aback by this reaction, delayed the publication of Basen, but at the same time, and Bible and Dead Souls , although everything was ready - and gouaches, and texts.

After the war, Chagall's daughter, returned from the United States, came to me - she knew that all the artistic heritage Vollara kept from me.
- My father would buy you all gouaches, which he did for the Basen, Bible and Dead Souls - she said.
- What he wants to do with them?
- He wants to publish the books himself.
I sold him the works - the artist must always remain the owner of their works.

Around 1922 Vollara shop on the street Lafite been threatened demolition (although those who know the speed with which public services operate, and understand that this danger is very remote). Vollar decided to emigrate.
He is not one made such a decision: the last time merchants began to arrive from the street, she went out of fashion. Some big marshal moved to the fashionable neighborhoods - st. Faubourg Saint-Honore Street. Matignon or Place des Vosges. Other preferred neighborhoods intellectuals and moved to the other bank of the Seine, near the Odeon, especially on the street of the Seine. There were those who decided osnovat sya in Montparnasse or Montmartre.
Vollaru wanted to increase its space. Its reserves of paintings were so great that no longer placed in the store.
 On the other hand, clients expect, sitting in his chair, he was not interested in organizing exhibitions - even less. Publisher mobilized all its forces, and he no longer discover new artists. He was quite famous, and his reputation was such that he could take clients in their nadomu.
For all these reasons, rather than to select the location for its new gallery, he decided to buy a mansion on a quiet street VII districts of Paris, near the Place des Invalides. Street is called Martinyak, house number 28.
It was a large three-story house. Apparently, this house fell to him to taste, since he lived there until his death.

On the ground floor, with some windows, sealed by iron shutters were orgomnoe building, which housed most of the wealth Vollara, and a large hall, transformed into a showroom: in vitrinaz were placed under glass and ceramic vases, signed Rouault, Vlaminck, Derain , Lyapradom, Jean Puy, Valt, Gauguin. After the death of Vollara most of these articles appeared in national muzeyayah.
In the depths of the hall was a staircase leading to the second floor. There was a large dining room, which Vollar usually takes its visitors.
When any client wanted to see the Renoir and Gauguin, Vollar took out of his pocket a bunch of keys, carefully chose one of them, open up your door and disappeared in a small room with no windows. A few minutes later he came out of her, holding several canvases. As Rouault, I do not know why, but his works were in another room.
Vollar was setting in front of his visitor, announced prices, and then calmly waited.
If the customer makes any comments or tried to bargain, Vollar only laughed. For example, if a client complained about the high price of canvases, Vollar feeling the fabric from which a tailored suit this client:

- See please, what a wonderful fabric! She's English? Very chic ...
Typically, this suggestion proved sufficient. In any case, Vollar never bargained. Why? It was Ambroise Vollar most znamenitytsy Marchand of all time. This greatly facilitates communication.
Nowadays, no Marshan can not claim to possess a tenth of what was stored on the street Martinyak. Thousands greatest canvases of contemporary artists were placed in different rooms - on the first floor in the attic, everywhere. By the end of life and samVollar not know exactly how many masterpieces were in his mansion. He rarely went into their store and threw a book bound in leather, in which waged by buying and selling his paintings.
Every time I had to insist that he took any customer or sold one of the paintings - it is no longer amused.
He fell out of love and fellowship with other Marchand. His door was closed dl them - and for George Vildenshtayna, and dl brothers Rosenberg. He met them now only on "Dinner Marchand, who had never been organized on the street Martinyak. Once he borrowed a picture of George Bernheim. He returned it to him cleaned, framed and varnished. Vollar fell into a terrible rage ...
- I hate that I can not - telling a he told me - first, never sell the work in the frames, because in this case, the buyer is always created the impression that he pays and the frame ...

I must say that while the pictures are usually put in a heavy, ornate frames, which were very expensive. Sometimes they were decorated with a picture, but more often the contrary, they killed her ...
After the death Vollara in his house found a room, jammed windows, which he took pictures.
He also did not like to clean the painting or covering them with lacquer.
- I prefer - he said to me - leave now somewhere in the corner, so it's a bit covered with dust. So I leave myself open to the buyer the pleasure of beauty priobrelennoy them things.
Vollar was fine psychologist.

Outside Martinyak situation was not as relaxed as once on the street Laffitte.
Former regulars "underground dinner" parted on different sides. Bonnard and Matisse lived in the south of France. Sometimes Vollar took artists who had once patronized. But everything was not so: the former are the poor artists have become famous, but with fame came and money. So now their claims have increased, and their relations with Vollarom changed.
Was present for the first time at a dinner with the artists at uditse Martinyak, I witnessed instructive scene. I often think about it with sadness.
At a dinner attended by Matisse, Derain, Vlaminck, Dufy, in short, the company was brilliant.
We talked, of course, about painting, and painting on the other, missing artists, and talked about it not in the most laudatory terms.
Suddenly, a major-domo, who said Vollaru his name to the phone.
Vollar left. In his absence, the guests continued to chat.
Oblivious to my presence, Derain turned to the other:
Split-old is not easy, but you need to do it!
I felt ashamed that I heard this.
Of course, Vollar not a model of generosity. But he pulled out all these artists from anonymity. Steels whether they would without his famous podderdzhki? It is not a fact ... Yes, indeed, wherever they were not "old man"?
In any case, I do not ever tell Vollaru about this story.

Frankly, I think it would it not particularly surprised.
One day, good-bye to me, he suddenly turned around and asked me:
- And what is your relationship with Degas?
I froze, not knowing what he says - because Degas had died long ago ... But suddenly realized:
- We have excellent relations, thank you.
He smiled and shook his head:
- Wonderful, Wonderful! Work with dead artists, communicate with them so enjoyable!
I followed his advice. Sometimes I regret it - but not always. In the end, he worked Vollar almost always with the living artists, and we can not say this to hurt him ...