[GARY] HARLINGUE, Albert (1879-1964)

[GARY] HARLINGUE, Albert (1879-1964)

Original photograph, vintage gelatin silver print on cartoline
N.p., n.d. [Paris, Dec. 1956], 20.2 (23.8 cm with margin) x 17.8 cm
Slightly soiled lower white margin, thumbtack perforation in left margin, light surface rubbing
Framed under 70% museum glass

The iconic portrait of Romain Gary by Albert Harlingue, taken on the occasion of the Prix Goncourt the writer had just been awarded for Les Racines du ciel

Gary is pursuing a diplomatic career as French Consul General in Los Angeles (1956-1960) when he is awarded the Prix Goncourt on 3 December 1956 for Les Racines du ciel. The writer returns to France for the occasion in the days that follow, the Quai d’Orsay granting him a two-week leave. It is amid intense media excitement that Gary is then photographed by Albert Harlingue, at the offices of Éditions Gallimard. The writer appears there aged 42, cigarette in hand, with a gentle gaze, sketching a slight smile. This is one of the finest portraits of the writer, in a scarce vintage print.
Often reproduced, this portrait was notably used for the cover of Nancy Huston’s Le Tombeau de Romain Gary (Actes Sud, 1999 ed.).