Robert de Montesquiou et Edmond de Goncourt: une amitié littéraire

In the nineties Robert de Montesquiou replaced Edmond de Goncourt as the arbiter of taste. The article – an account of the friendship of the two artists, supported by extracts from their unedited correspondence – traces their commitment to the aesthetic movements of the period, concentrating particularly on their "cult" for Japanese art. They had many mutual friends, notably Whistler, Rodin, Helleu, la comtesse Greffulhe, Sarah Bernhardt, and la princesse Mathilde. Therefore, it is not surprising that Montesquiou, an extremely forward-looking perspicacious critic, came to replace Goncourt, whose tastes were rooted in the 18th century, as the dominant influence in their circle in the Belle Epoque. (In French) (JEN & MEF)