Léon BLUM (1872-1950). Autograph manuscript signed, [1928 ?]; 3 pages in-4 (the 3 ff. under frame). Beautiful text on the painter Claire Valière, on the occasion of an exhibition of the artist at the Galerie Bernheim Jeune: "I did not expect, at this moment of my life, to make my debut as an art critic. And yet, with the confidence of a neophyte, I venture to present to the public this selection of works by Claire Valière, brought together by the friendly hospitality of Josse and Gaston Bernheim Jeune - I do so without complacency. I admire the person of Claire Valière, her serious and solitary work, her ample faith in a vocation that she fulfills as a duty"... He evokes the child prodigy, her first two exhibitions, the appreciation of Louis Vauxcelles and the possible influence of Cézanne. "One feels that she wishes to reach beyond the sensitive appearances, to penetrate to the density, to the solidity, to the substantial quality of things. [...] the public, by examining the landscapes, the flowers, the still lifes of Claire Valière will recognize to this inexperienced presentation the most important of all merits: the truth"...