Spread across all three floors of the permanent gallery and set on easily identifiable mounts designed by the Scenografià team (Nicolas Groult and Valentina Dodi), the works tell the story of the artist during the Second World War and his highly original perspective on those turbulent years. The selection highlights the various aspects of his work, from his mobilisation and the French campaign to his time as a reporter in Germany in 1945. Visitors have ample opportunity to contemplate Jean Delpech’s atypical body of work and observe the close ties between his wartime creations and the items on display that relate to the period in question. The presentation reflects the multiplicity of the artist’s intentions, including works of various kinds: finished works, studies and technical drawings alike.

The major themes addressed in the exhibition are: 

Delpech apprentice soldier 

In 1938, Jean Delpech did his military service. His drawings depict weapon handling and details of weaponry and equipment.

1940 Campaign

Jean Delpech lived a soldier’s life in the 15^th Alpine Hunters Battalion. The works show his daily life (cantonment) and the battles and their consequences.

Vichy France and the Occupation

Delpech was demobilised in 1940 and spent the Occupation in Paris, where he taught technical drawing. He illustrated the Vichy regime’s propaganda, which targeted young people and was largely supported by the media (press and radio).

Allegories

The artist used allegories to evoke the forces involved in the conflict. He represented Germany through its longstanding symbols, such as the Prussian eagle, as well as its military power. He also created an allegory of England, which he depicted as a defender of justice and a dominant force in maritime warfare.

War at Sea

Jean Delpech depicted several warships (he would later become Painter to the Navy) and showed a special interest in the subject.

Tanks

The artist devoted a series of drawings and engravings to tanks, all depicted in the same way: a line drawing of an “écorché” of his subject, providing a view of the vehicle’s inside and outside at the same time. 

Russian Campaign

Although Delpech did not go to Russia, the events that took place there inspired several drawings and engravings on his part.

Battle of Normandy

Two engravings, on display in the Landing Room, depict the landing and Battle of Normandy. Jean Delpech did not witness the Normandy landing, so these are works of imagination.

African Hunters

In November 1944, Jean Delpech followed the 2nd Spahi Regiment as a war correspondent, and then transferred to the 7^th African Hunters Regiment. Several drawings bear witness to their daily life, which the artist shared for several months. 

American equipment

Jean Delpech made a number of detailed drawings of military equipment. One of them is an accurate depiction of a jeep’s engine. 

Liberation of Paris

Jean Delpech was in Paris when the city was liberated. He lived in the Saint-Germain district and witnessed the fighting, creating a series of monotype prints depicting the event.

Delpech war reporter

In late 1944, Delpech created a reportage for the weekly magazine L’Armée Française au Combat. He followed the 1^st Army to Germany, bringing back numerous drawings that would finally end up unpublished. Several drawings testify to his skills as an observer of the soldiers he lived among and of local people he came across. 

On to Berlin

Following his return from Germany, Jean Delpech created a series of large-format works, drawing inspiration from the sketches he had made on the spot during his reportage, along with information from the media, and constituting what might be called synoptic works.

Concentration camps

In April 1945, while accompanying General de Lattre’s 1^st Army as a war reporter, Jean Delpech witnessed the Vaihingen camp’s liberation by the French troops. Strongly marked by the event, he created several monotypes of the camp, which he reworked in the 1980s

Trophies

In the immediate post-war period, Jean Delpech created several works of pure imagination, with the trophy as their leitmotif. These highly creative drawings and prints combine accurate depictions of military weaponry with religious and mythological references.