Candid portrait photograph, 1942, signed and inscribed by Django Reinhardt, additionally annotated with a doodle of a guitar

Lot 153
28.09.2023 13:00UTC +00:00
Classic
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£ 8 190
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 1016502
Lot 153 | Candid portrait photograph, 1942, signed and inscribed by Django Reinhardt, additionally annotated with a doodle of a guitar
Estimate value
£ 3 000 – 5 000
Candid portrait photograph, 1942, signed and inscribed by Django Reinhardt, additionally annotated with a doodle of a guitar

Jean “Django” Reinhardt

REINHARDT, Jean “Django” (1910-1953).



Candid portrait photograph, 1942, signed and inscribed by Django Reinhardt, additionally annotated with a doodle of a guitar. Cigarette and cognac in hand, Reinhardt awaits his turn at billiards, the image inscribed and dated in blue ink ‘14 Juillet 1942, a mon tres simpathique [sic] directeur, Django Reinhardt’.



Often cited as one of the most proficient and influential guitarists in history, Romani-Belgian guitarist Django Reinhardt was one of the first jazz talents to emerge in Europe, creating a new hybrid style of “gypsy jazz” in 1930s Paris, with a virtuosity and velocity that was all the more impressive considering he had lost the use of two fingers in an accident. Together with violinist Stéphane Grappelli, Django formed the all-strings combo Quintette du Hot Club de France in 1934, quickly becoming one of the most popular acts in Europe. Raised in Romani encampments, Reinhardt received little education and was illiterate into adulthood, until bandmate Grappelli taught him to form uppercase letters and the rudiments of spelling. As such, inscriptions of any length are rare. Signed on Bastille Day during the Nazi occupation of Paris, the recipient was reportedly Maurice Détaille, the director of the A.B.C. Théâtre in Paris, where Django was engaged to play from 3-31 July.



The image by Jan Renard for Photo-Reportages, Paris, 1942. Vintage matte-finish gelatin silver print, 240 x 180 mm, stamped photographer’s credit (lower right recto, and verso).



[With:] an invitation to Reinhardt’s art exhibition at the Boeuf sur le Toit, Paris, 14 March – 15 April 1947, 134 x 210 mm. Although best known for his innovative guitar technique, Reinhardt also enjoyed painting and held two exhibitions of his simple, brightly coloured landscapes and nudes in the 1940s to 1950s. During this first show, Reinhardt’s band was also in residence at the Boeuf sur le Toit.

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