Beuville, un artiste bien occupé pendant l’Occupation

Vu il y a peu à la télé le documentaire sur Louis-Ferdinand Céline, et j’avoue que j’ai eu du mal à terminer le visionnage tellement le personnage est antipathique. Et puis L’armée des ombres de Melville, un film pas gai non plus. Alors ça fait toujours un peu bizarre de voir à quel point Beuville a pu travailler pendant l’Occupation. Au point que j’en pose la question à sa famille (à l’occasion de l’exposition de St Malo) qui pense qu’il était royaliste. J’ai déjà présenté ici sa plaquette pour la défense de l’agriculture française où il illustrait le texte d’un proche du pouvoir pétainiste et on va aller un peu plus loin cette fois-ci.

Faites des enfants, bordel !

En 1942, le Commissariat général à la Famille publie un ouvrage de propagande nataliste, destiné aux médecins, intitulé La vie en fleur (ce qui ne veut rien dire, au passage). Beuville réalise plusieurs illustrations pour illustrer le propos – que l’on peut résumer facilement par « les femmes sont faites pour procréer et rien ne pourrait leur apporter plus de joie que de pondre des chiards ».

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La tournée des Grands Dük

En 1941, Paris est occupé. Les troupes allemandes baguenaudent sans but sans les rues de la capitale, errant à la recherche d’un lieu où s’amuser, boire un coup et s’empiffrer. Cette situation ne peut plus durer. Des hommes de valeur décident de prendre les choses en main. Odé, dans un acte insensé d’audace, publie un guide des nuits parisiennes à destination du troufion boche : Pariser Nächte (Les nuits parisiennes dans la langue de Chanel).

Le guide du routard SS

D’un format pratique (9×14 cm), il se range dans la poche de veste de tout officier teuton qui se respecte. Il est bien protégé par son rhodoïd qui lui promet une longue durée de vie et le protège des intempéries comme du champagne ou autre substance liquide. Il est découpé par arrondissement, propose un plan du métro, les adresses des lieux nocturnes avec une petite description (j’ignorais qu’il y avait autant d’établissement à l’ambiance russe à l’époque), un lexique pour comprendre les menus et même une partie dans laquelle vous pouvez recueillir les dédicaces de Fernandel, Charles Trenet ou Arletty (malheureusement, mon exemplaire n’en contient aucune).

Il est richement illustré de dessins et de photographies : c’est un vrai livre à souvenirs pour vos petits-enfants, une fois que le IIIème Reich aura maté l’Europe (avec pas mal de jambes en l’air et de seins itou, ce qui ne déplaira pas aux futurs soldats du Reich).

Le point Godwin est vite atteint

Beuville a réalisé un paquet de petits dessins à teneur humoristique pour ce guide, reproduits en blanc et bleu, ce qui n’aide pas trop vu la taille des images. J’ai scanné des pages entières pour donner un aperçu du carnet et vous remarquerez des illustrations représentant les façades de différents établissements, mais vus de nuit. Une idée assez géniale, à mon avis.

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Je me suis toujours demandé si tous ces travaux n’ont pas affecté la carrière de Beuville après la guerre. En tous les cas, ce sera le début d’une longue collaboration avec les éditions Odé pour laquelle il illustrera de nombreux guides et dont il assumera aussi la direction artistique pour certains ouvrages.