Paul Guillaume’s manuscripts in the archives of the Walter-Guillaume collection

The Paul Guillaume papers donated to the Musée de l’Orangerie comprise many of his writings, poems and lecture notes, as well as reading notes and snippets which, while they have nothing to say about his activities as an art dealer, nevertheless provide a glimpse into his interests. Some of his writings reveal a man who is truly fascinated by art and poetry. His letters and thoughts are frequently adorned with sketches, or are freely inspired by the lyrical ideograms, known as calligrams, of the poet Guillaume Apollinaire.

He was a great admirer of Apollinaire, his friend and mentor, and developed his own predilection for both prose and rhyme. In the few drawings by Paul Guillaume in the collection, we can see precious evidence of the curiosity that drove him. He mastered the various different styles with quasi scholarly diligence, from avant-gardism and cubism to abstraction.