René Gimpel's 'Journal d'un collectionneur' reissued in expanded edition

A new, expanded edition of René Gimpel's 'Journal d'un collectionneur' has been published. Originally released in 1963 with a preface by Jean Guéhenno, the 750-page volume covers the period from 1918 to 1939, offering a wealth of anecdotes about artists and the art market between the wars. Gimpel, a dealer and son of a dealer, recounts encounters with Picasso, who introduced him to a man dominated by his mother, and with Apollinaire, who on his deathbed begged that his mother not be allowed to visit. He notes that in early 20th-century Cabourg, Proust—then author of only one book and two Ruskin translations—went unnoticed. Fifteen years later, Gimpel describes a bloated, fame-obsessed Proust, fresh from winning the Goncourt Prize. A shared appreciation for Vermeer links the two men; Gimpel, an expert, searched for the Dutch master's hidden monogram on canvases worldwide. The journal also contains ironic reflections, such as: 'In any profession, the man who answers a bell is a servant.' Gimpel died in deportation in 1945.