jacques-andré boiffard

renée jacobi, 1930

sans titre, 1930

sans titre (morphine & gun) 1932-1933

jacques-andré boiffard, ca. 1929

bouche, documents n. 5, 1929

etude, ca. 1930

jean painlevé, 1929

masque de carnaval, 1930

sans titre, 1932-1933

sans titre, 1929

sans titre, 1930

sans titre, 1932

gros orteil, 1929

alberto giacometti, ca. 1930

les pipes, ca. 1930

“waking dream”, séance de réve éveillé  photographed by man ray, 1924  

seated: simone breton, left to right:  max morise, roger vitrac, acques-andré boiffard, andré breton, paul éluard, pierre naville, giorgio de chirico, philippe soupault, jacques baron & robert desnos

sans titre, ca. 1930

all photographs by jacques-andré boiffard 

(except as noted by man ray & unknown portrait of the photographer)

jacques-andré boiffard was a medical student until 1924 when he met andré breton through pierre naville, a surrealist writer & childhood friend. (he was 22)

part of the surrealist movement, he dedicated himself to research in the bureau of surrealist research also known as centrale surréaliste or bureau of surrealist enquires. the bureau was a paris based office where a loosely affiliated group of surrealist writers & artists gathered to meet, hold discussions & conduct interviews in order to "gather all the information possible related to forms that might express the unconscious activity of the mind."

later that year he became man ray's assistant, where he would remain until 1929.  he co-directed l'étoile de mer in 1928 & he co-wrote & co-directed les mystéres du château du dé in 1929 along with man ray. he contributed to various surrealist journals & illustrated andré breton's novel nadja in 1928.

in 1928 he was abruptly expelled from the surrealist group for taking photographs of simone breton (although i cannot find any reason why). from 1929 he was associated with georges bataille & documents, in which he illustrated articles such as "the big toe", robert desnos pygmalion and the sphinx in 1930 along with un cadavre in 1930, a pamphlet that attacked breton.

he then went on a world tour with photographer eli lotar but the trip came to an early end in tangiers. after the death of his father in 1935 boiffard resumed his studies to earn a doctorate in medicine in 1940 specializing in radiology, once & for all putting an end to his career as a photographer.