Les ruines du Château du Marquis de Sade, 1953

Marcel Basler  

Original watercolor signed lower right, executed on a "biographical sheet" of the Plastic Arts stand at La Kermesse aux Etoiles.

History: Under the sponsorship of Madame la Maréchale Leclerc, the first Kermesse aux Etoiles was organized in Paris in 1948 by the social works of the Second DB, chaired by Madame Massu. Installed in the Tuileries Gardens, visitors could, for three days and three nights, stroll among the many stands and marquees dedicated to the army and the Colonies, but also occupied by major advertising brands. Theaters, cinemas, shows, sports areas, merry-go-rounds, kindergartens, bars, refreshments, restaurants, raffle,… Everything was planned for the party! The Kermesse owed its success above all to the presence of numerous film and entertainment stars, but also of writers. Everyone could then approach their idol and have the booklet that one had been able to obtain at the entrance signed .

During the year 1951, Jacques Fillacier and André Hambourg had the idea of involving the artists in this popular demonstration. Paul Charlot, Henri Plisson and Paul Feugereux, director of the ABC School of Design were associated with the project. None of them could predict the success met because it was the first time that painters were going to "show" and "work" in public. However, nearly a hundred artists accepted the idea of this adventure. Among them Léonard Foujita, Marie Laurencin, Maurice Utrillo, to name only the elders. The Plastic Arts Stand at the Kermesse aux Etoiles opened its doors in 1952. Installed on platforms, the artists actively worked in front of a large crowd. They got caught up in the game and did not hesitate to add a quick drawing or a watercolor to their signature. The success was immediate! Each sheet was sold symbolically and marked with a large red or blue "Kermesse aux Etoiles" stamp. The following two years, the cachet was more discreet. In 1953, the public was even more numerous and the artists, for the sale and the presentation of the works, received the assistance of famous dealers and auctioneers. Several collections of 25 drawings and watercolors were put together and offered for sale.

For the artists who could not come, the organizers printed sheets with their names, a short biography and the mention of the Plastic Arts Stand of the Fair at the Stars, and leaving an important place for the work. Painters could thus work in their workshops.