Bordeaux : Cyprien Alfred-Duprat, cet inconnu
By analyzing numerous archives and notarial deeds, she often found errors, missing or truncated documents. In newspaper articles, she noted that the architect (Arcachon 1876–Bordeaux 1933) was quoted for subjects other than his achievements and sought to learn more about his social environment.
” Butterfly “
And there appeared a “multifaceted butterfly”, whose relationships in the best Bordeaux circles tell of several periods, from the Belle Époque to the Great Depression. Passionate about aeronautics and speed, Cyprien Alfred-Duprat created the Aéro-club de Bordeaux, organized balloon races, imagined utopian projects presented in “Bordeaux…un jour! “. He was a painter and photographer, frequented artists, known well Panajou (photographer whose house is still in business alleys of Tourny, editor’s note). His great friend was Maurice Versein with whom he shared his social hobbies.
“His works are not listed, some have been demolished; he built many houses and buildings in the Basque Country, in Bordeaux but, apart from the Maison cantonale de la Bastide and the Maison Schwabe (near the Bordeaux Park), who can say everything he did? ” laments Claude Mandraut. “And yet, he was one of the great architects of his generation, president of the Association of Architects of Bordeaux and South-West in 1930.” And above all, he was part of a family line where the transmission was done in sweetness, between his father Bertrand, whom he helped from the age of 17, and his son Jean.
There is a lot to discover about Cyprien Alfred-Duprat, and this abundantly illustrated book opens up avenues of research on this charming, original, sometimes elusive man.