I met Yoel Tamanlis in 2006 at the Ministry of Education. At the time, I was implementing software and was sent to the training department to help implement a certain piece of software. Apparently, my reputation as a Francophile preceded me because as soon as I got there, the director of the department approached Yoel and said, “Here comes another one like you.” Thus began a wonderful friendship.
I would try to come to Yoel's office in the training department every morning to "implement software" and for about half an hour a day we would sit there, listen to chansons and talk about ParisSo about two years passed at the Ministry of Education until I left the office for a startup that deals with computer game advertising and began a career that has lasted for more than a decade in the gaming world.
In late 2013, I founded “Francophiles Anonymous” and to my delight, Yoel was one of the first followers. Even more to my delight, Yoel began writing for the site and is responsible for some of the most beautiful articles on it (you can read them all atLink this). Since we live a 30-minute drive from each other, we got to meet up from time to time and savor memories of Paris together.
During one of the meetings, Joel showed me an old letter and asked if I recognized who wrote it. After reading it for a few minutes, I told him that based on the style, it might be a writer. Emile ZolaJoel was surprised by the guess and told me that this was indeed a letter from Emile Zola and the recipient was no less than… Joel's great-grandfather!
This is how I first learned about Joel's plan to write a book dedicated to the history of his French family but also to Paris, which he loves so much. From that moment on, I never stopped nagging Joel and asking him about the book. Joel always maintained a mysterious smile and didn't say much. To my great joy, after a year of Corona that took up quite a bit of time for Joel, the work of writing the book was completed and it came to me.
The book was exactly what I expected. An interesting collection of anecdotes about his French family, written in Joel's humorous and fluent style. Of course, you will find there not only historical stories that took place in Paris in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries and that concern his ancestors, but also entire chapters that deal with Paris itself and even a chapter in which Joel and I answer questions about France together.
In short, this is a Francophile treat of the highest order, a book that is a lot of fun to read and as such it may end too quickly (or prevent you from going to sleep trying to read just one more chapter). There is no doubt that after reading it, you are left with a smile accompanied by feelings of longing for Paris, but also with the feeling that one book like this is not enough and that it is very good that there should be another book.
And now, after this brief introduction, it's time to give you a taste of that Francophile candy, by reading one of the chapters of the book, which deals with the same letter I mentioned earlier. Bon appetit!
A chapter from the book Sa La Vie by Yoel Tamanlis
I am the great-grandson of a great man. Eugène Bleu, the father of my grandmother Claire, was born in Paris on April 22, 1857. He was the owner of a famous gallery in Paris that bore his name and a well-known art collector with extensive connections. Eugène is considered one of the first people in the world to appreciate and cherish the painters of the Impressionist era, such as: Edouard Manet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, Van Gogh and many others.
My father Pascal, Eugene's grandson, said that at the beginning of his career as an art collector, Eugene was forced to quit smoking in order to save a few francs that allowed him to purchase works by young Impressionist painters, who were at the beginning of their artistic journey and in whose high abilities he believed with all his heart.
Eugène took an active part in the conflicts of the heroic times of modern art alongside his good friend Émile Zola and the famous French writer, journalist and art critic Octave Mirbeau. I have in my possession a letter in Emile Zola's original handwriting from 1899 in which he thanks Eugène for a work of art he gave him as a gift.
This is a bust (a bust, a human statue of only the head and chest) of Emile Zola himself, which until then had been on display in the gallery’s window. At that time, some in the public harshly criticized Zola for fiercely defending Alfred Dreyfus, the Jewish officer who was unjustly accused of treason and espionage in the well-known affair known as the “Dreyfus Affair.” The letter was written in Paris over 120 years ago. It is hard to imagine and believe that he survived two world wars and made aliyah to the State of Israel.
I hold the document in my hand and am moved. Zola, the great writer, wrote a personal handwritten letter of thanks to my great-grandfather: “I found the Buste this evening when I returned home and it is very successful. More accurate than I had estimated for a work created from a photograph without a live model. The work is excellent, very similar to the original and has a lot of character. Please also acknowledge on my behalf the artist who did his work with great skill and talent. Thanks again.
I am very proud and very excited and I say this with all my heart. I also want to tell you how much the dedication attached to the statue moves me. Your admiration touched my heart very much. Yours faithfully.” And here comes the original and moving signature of the wonderful writer, one of the greatest writers of all time – Emile Zola.
In 1934, my great-grandfather published a memoir about his famous artist friends and the talented young painters he constantly encouraged. The book, entitled “The Story of a Collection of Modern Paintings,” is essentially a summary of Eugene’s 50 years of artistic activity between 1882 and 1932.
The story of Eugène's close personal relationships and dealings with the greatest painters of his time, detailing the famous paintings he bought and sold, sounds like something out of the realm of imagination. In reality, it's not science fiction at all, but a great commercial and social success. The documentation appears in black and white between the yellowing pages of Eugène's book.
As his great-grandson, I must admit that I am thrilled and surprised by the discoveries I first came across in my research for the book “Sa la Vie.” Reading Eugène’s book was one of the peaks of this feeling for me. My great-grandfather turned out to have the professional instincts of a master craftsman. This talented and intelligent man was a walking legend by every possible criterion.
Napoleon once said that: “There has always been France Full of talented people, but lacking in men of action.” Eugene's conduct completely contradicts Napoleon's words and reveals a highly talented man who was also a first-rate man of action. Without a doubt, my great-grandfather is inspiring.
In 1882, at the age of 25, while visiting with his father a family friend on the Boulevard du Temple in the Marais district, Eugène saw a collection of Impressionist paintings for the first time in his life. There were paintings by: Renoir, Monet, Degas, Pissarro, Manet and Sisley. Eugène fell in love with the Impressionist style. The visit brought about a turning point in his career. Until then, Eugène had mainly loved Rembrandt, Rubens, Goya and others, to whom he was exposed in Paris and during his visits to museums in London, Brussels, and several large cities in Germany.
At that time, Eugene and his father had a small bronze sculpture factory in Paris on the corner of Rue des Archives and Rue des Enfants Rouges. They planned to decorate the walls of the place with beautiful paintings, and approached two recommended galleries, one on the hill Montmartre and the second on Rue Lepelletier. Eugène and his father were enthusiastic and purchased three modern paintings by Eugène Bodin, Camille Pissarro and Armand Guillaume.
For the three paintings together they paid 350 francs. The price was considered a realistic price at the time. Without their knowledge, this modest purchase was the starting point and cornerstone for the establishment of a magnificent and important gallery that would operate in Paris for decades.
Eight years later, at a major auction held by Eugène, Pissarro's painting, a landscape painting from the vicinity of Pontoise, sold for 1,100 francs. Not sky-high, but still a handsome profit. Twenty years later, Eugène bought the painting again, this time for 20 million francs.
Eugène said that Pissarro himself approached him in 1895 and asked him to lend him 300 francs. This was, of course, before the price of his works skyrocketed. Pissarro, who would later become one of the most important painters in the world, was unable to make ends meet.
The scope of buying and selling works of art by Eugène gradually expanded. One of the first purchases was a painting by Guillaume called “Sunset at Charenton”. The painting was purchased for 250 francs and sold for 4,000 francs to a major collector who managed to sell it the same day for almost double the price. Shortly afterwards, Eugène acquired a wonderful work by Claude Monet called “Ice Cubes at Verteuil”, Monet’s work was purchased for 600 francs and sold in 1900 for 6,600 francs.
At that time, Paul Cézanne’s paintings were hardly selling. There was no demand for his works. There were no buyers for the man who would later become one of the greatest painters of all time. In 1886, when Cézanne moved to Paris to work in the studio of his friend the painter Guillaume, Eugène bought from him a charming little oil painting called “Bouquet of Geraniums in a Green Vase” for the ridiculous price of only 30 francs, and another painting by him called “Little Street in Auvers” which he called admirable. In 1906, this painting sold for barely 3,000 francs. “A few years later I saw it at auction for 350 million francs,” Eugène said.
In 1886, Eugène purchased a wonderful painting called “Canal in Amsterdam” by Claude Monet and “Woman Seated in the Garden” by Renoir. Toulouse-Lautrec was also traded in my great-grandfather’s gallery. Eugène purchased a work by him called “The Model’s Hairstyle” and noted that at the great auction of 1900 he was unable to get a high price for it.
In that year, Lautrec's paintings, like those of Cézanne and Pissarro, were not yet in demand. Time had not yet placed these great painters in their rightful place. A short time later, the market situation changed beyond recognition. Eugène purchased another work by Lautrec called "Melinette, Dancer of the Moulin Rouge," which he described as wonderful and representative. This work was purchased for 600 francs and soon was worth no less than a million and a half francs.
The painter Guillaume appeared unannounced at Eugène’s gallery with no less than 70 of his new paintings and said: “From now on, I only know you. You will receive a 20 percent commission for every sale.” That was the entire agreement between them. Without any written or signed paper, without a contract, and without a commitment. This agreement based on the power of friendship and loyalty lasted for 25 years until the day the renowned painter died.
One day, when Eugene was in the company of Guillaume, the latter learned that he had won a public lottery for the respectable sum of 100 francs. Although Guillaume's financial situation was not promising, he remained indifferent and blurted out: "Great, now I can go and paint the sea."
How can I purchase the book?
The book can be purchased directly from Joel Tamanlis.
- His Facebook page
- His phone number: 052-707-7477
A few words about Yoel Tamanlis
Yoel is a Francophile who currently lives in Modi'in. In addition to being a journalist, he is also a photographer, and if you are interested in enjoying his beautiful photographs of Paris, you are welcome to take a look at the page Paris via ZoomIf you want to read the articles he published on the site Go to this link.
Here is a correspondence between me and Yoel Tamanlis regarding his book:
My dear. Through your immense talent, you are giving my book and my family publicity that I never thought was possible. Writing book reviews and reviews is a profession. It turns out that it is your profession and that you do it at the highest level possible. You have done a tremendous job, high quality, professional, in-depth, while distinguishing the subtleties and touching most of all. If my ancestors were alive, they would surely hug you tightly. I am moved by your article and I will never be able to thank you as you deserve. I am more than happy that my book touched your heart and that a person of such stature as you connected with it and saw fit to write about it. Thank you, thank you, thank you and thank you again.
Thank you very much, Joel. I was elated when I read your book and I am glad I was able to express it in a way that made you happy too. And once again, I am looking forward to the book and am looking forward to the second book, but take your time. Such enterprises need slow cooking.
Your book, Joel Tamanlis, unites two of my great loves: French culture and the language of the Bible. Although the book talks about Jewish mysticism, in my blog about the language of the Bible I show the connection between language and mysticism. And so I found my world in the world of the Tamanlis family.
Hello to Joel Tamenlis, thank you for the interesting article about your great-grandfather. He was one of a large group of French Jews who were involved in collecting and selling art from the mid-19th century until the Nazi occupation of France. I am interested in knowing whether the grandfather left any paintings to his descendants and what happened to them.
Hello Aviva, thank you for your interest and question. My great-grandfather had three children: two daughters (one of whom, Claire, is my grandmother) and one son who continued his father's path in the gallery and operated it for many years after his death. My grandmother and father had several paintings by well-known painters that were given to them by my great-grandfather. Unfortunately, the place where they were stored was bombed during the war and the paintings were completely destroyed...
For those interested – my review of Yoel Tamanlis' book on Merav Golan's blog, HiT's.
To reach her, type: Yoel Tamanlis, Se La Vie, author: Orna Lieberman.