THE LAFAYETTE ARCHIVES REMAIN IN FRANCE A FRENCH FONDATION HAS JUST ACQUIRED A UNIQUE SERIES OF MANUSCRIPTS BY “WASHINGTON’S ADOPTED SON” FROM THE COLLECTIONS OF FASHION DESIGNER JEAN PATOU Marquis de La Fayette as a Captain in the Regiment of Noailles by Louis Léopold Boilly. 1788. Musée de Versailles © RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) / Gérard Blot PIERRE BERGÉ & ASSOCIÉS PARIS 92 avenue d’Iéna 75116 Paris T. +33 (0)1 49 49 90 00 F. +33 (0)1 49 49 90 01 The Pierre Bergé & associés Auction House, in collaboration with Jean-Baptiste de Proyart, is proud to announce the purchase of the Lafayette manuscripts by an officially recognized non-profit French Foundation. It constitutes the first series ofLafayette archives put up for auction since their creation. They come from the collections of fashion designer Jean Patou (1887-1936) and reflect the mutual fascination linking him to America in the 1920s. An exhibition prior to the sale unveiled these archives to the public for the first time since 1963. They are now set to become part of France’s national heritage. This Lafayette-Jean Patou collection consists of two distinct sets: the 12 letters to his brother-in-law, the Vicomte de Noailles, and the Farewell Tour archives. According to Jean-Baptiste de Proyart, “this collection of Lafayette archives put together by Emmanuel Fabius for Jean Patou bears considerable emotional weight. The manuscripts engender a peculiar fascination in the reader. Through the extraordinary image they offer, as much of the American Revolution as of a young America in the 1824-1825 period, they present a mixture of humility and grandeur, anonymity and glory.” The very friendly letters written between Lafayette and his brother-in-law thus bear precious testimony to these heroic criss-crossings. They are now extremely scarce, as Lafayette’s various correspondences with the great figures of his time (such as Rochambeau, Washington, Vergennes) are now preserved either in public collections or are listed”. According to Antoine Godeau, auctioneer and Vice-President of Pierre Bergé & associés: “We have the immense joy of seeing this collection of Lafayette manuscripts become part of our national heritage thanks to its acquisition by the Fondation de Chambrun, a foundation dedicated exclusively to the memory of Lafayette and his ideas.” EXPERT Jean Baptiste de Proyart [email protected] T. +33 (0)1 47 23 41 18 PIERRE BERGÉ & ASSOCIÉS CONTACTS Nathalie du Breuil - [email protected] T. +33 (0)1 49 49 90 08 Sophie Duvillier - [email protected] T. +33 (0)1 49 49 90 10 PRESS CONTACTS Sylvia Beder - [email protected] T. +33 (0)1 42 18 09 42 Béatrice Martini - [email protected] T. +33 (0)1 43 20 51 07 PIERRE BERGÉ & ASSOCIÉS PARIS 92 avenue d’Iéna 75116 Paris T. +33 (0)1 49 49 90 00 F. +33 (0)1 49 49 90 01.