BAR2

BAR2 JOE BAR TEAM Volume 5, Vents d'Ouest, 2003 Brand-new shock absorbers, original plate no. 43. Signed. India ink on paper 27.6 × 39 cm (10.87 × 15.35 in.) In addition to being hilarious, this magnificent lot, which closes the sale, plunges us with delight into the warm, trivial atmosphere of small neighborhood bistros. Nothing is missing! Not the ever-present pochard leaning against the counter, nor the loubard on duty clutching the pinball machine, nor the unchanging cigarette butts crushed to the floor, nor the vulgar, faded decor typical of this kind of establishment. And it all seems so real that, even though it's all ink and paper, you can almost perceive the delicate scents wafting out of the place: those of Gauloises smoke and cooled tobacco, as well as those of sour wine and stale beer. And you can guess that only a bistro expert could reproduce this kind of place so faithfully. Does the author confirm this? "Let's just say that, when you're in my line of work, it's never a bad idea to come and take a close look at the places you're going to draw. And if you're wondering what the big "AGLP" on the advertising mirror behind the pinball machine might mean, you should know that this word, or rather fake mark, which appears from time to time in my albums, comes from the onomatopoeia "aglp", which is supposed to imitate the sudden swallow of a soiffard emptying his glass of tonic in one gulp. And if I found it amusing to invent a brand whose name evokes the consumption of alcohol, it's not to pay homage to this practice but because, before a law forbade it, a famous aperitif manufacturer sponsored many French drivers, including myself. And this "AGLP" was a discreet way of sending a friendly greeting to the man who was my patron - and who, in view of my results, must have regretted it."