René Blum (13 March 1878 – September 1942) was a French Jewish theatrical

impresario An impresario (from Italian ''impresa'', 'an enterprise or undertaking') is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, Play (theatre), plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film producer, film or ...

. He was the founder of the Ballet de l'Opéra at

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

and was the younger brother of the

Socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

Prime Minister of France The prime minister of France (), officially the prime minister of the French Republic (''Premier ministre de la République française''), is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of its Council of Ministers. The prime ...

, Léon Blum. A Jew, he was interned in various camps from 1941 until he was murdered by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

at the

Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

in late September 1942. While at the camps, he was known for keeping up the spirits of his fellow prisoners with tales of his life in the arts.

Biography

Blum was born in Paris. At the turn of the 20th century he was an editor at the Parisian literary journal '' Gil Blas'' and a popular theatre critic.Homans, Jennifer
"René Blum: Life of a Dance Master,"
''New York Times'' (8 July 2011). He became a friend of

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust ( ; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, literary critic, and essayist who wrote the novel (in French – translated in English as ''Remembrance of Things Past'' and more r ...

, and it was on his advice that Proust turned to Bernard Grasset to publish '' Du côté de chez Swann''. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Blum served in the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

. He saved threatened artwork from

Amiens Cathedral The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administra ...

and earned the French

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

Founder of Ballet of Monte-Carlo

He became director of plays and operettas at Monte Carlo in 1924,Sorley Walker, Kathrine. 1982. ''De Basil's Ballets Russes''. London: Hutchinson. ; New York: Atheneum. , p. 3 where

Sergei Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪrˈɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), also known as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario an ...

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Russian Revolution, Revolution ...

was based. In 1931, Blum was hired by

Louis II, Prince of Monaco Louis II (Louis Honoré Charles Antoine Grimaldi; 12 July 1870 – 9 May 1949) was Prince of Monaco from 26 June 1922 to 9 May 1949. Early years Born in Baden-Baden, Louis II was the only child of Albert I, Prince of Monaco (1848–1922), and L ...

, to create a ballet company that would continue the work and legacy of the late Diaghilev (who had died in 1929). In 1932, with the help of financier Serge Denham, Blum and Colonel W. de Basil formed the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo. Blum and de Basil fell out in 1934, and their Ballets Russes partnership dissolved. Blum kept ballet alive in Monte Carlo. In short order, he hired choreographer Bronislava Nijinska. After Nijinska left, Blum hired

Michel Fokine Michael Fokine ( – 22 August 1942) was a Russian choreographer and dancer. Career Early years Fokine was born in Saint Petersburg to a prosperous merchant and at the age of 9 was accepted into the Saint Petersburg Imperial Ballet Sch ...

. In 1937, Blum and former Ballets Russes choreographer

Léonide Massine Leonid Fyodorovich Myasin (), better known in the West by the French transliteration as Léonide Massine (15 March 1979), was a Russian choreographer and ballet dancer. Massine created the world's first symphonic ballet, ''Les Présages'', and ...

acquired financing from Fleischmann's Yeast heir Julius Fleischmann, Jr.'s World Art, Inc. to create a new ballet company. In 1938, their new company was allowed to regain the name '' Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo'' (although the company fled for the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1939, and was thereafter mostly based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Deportation and death

In the summer of 1940, after the German occupation of Paris, Blum returned to France to be with his family. He was arrested on 12 December 1941 in his Parisian home, among the first Jews to be arrested in Paris by the French police. He was held in the Beaune-la-Rolande internment camp, then in the

Drancy internment camp Drancy internment camp () was an assembly and detention camp for confining Jews who were later deported to the extermination camps during the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, German occupation of France duri ...

. On 23 September 1942 he was shipped to the

.''The Trial of Adolf Eichmann, Session 32'' (Part 5 of 5)
, Georges Wellers testimony at the trial of Eichmann. He was murdered by the Nazis at age 64 in late September 1942.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blum, Rene 1878 births 1942 deaths Ballet impresarios French people who died in Auschwitz concentration camp French Jews who died in the Holocaust French civilians killed in World War II Artists from Paris Drancy internment camp prisoners French military personnel of World War I