Paris, France — French Resistance fighter, personal secretary to Jean Moulin, spy, political activist, gallery owner, patron of the arts, Daniel Cordier alias Caracalla in the French Resistance who died at the age of 100, lived many thrilling lives. Daniel Cordier and his life are the object of an exhibition at the Musée De La Libération De Paris – Musée Du Général Leclerc – Musée Jean Moulin located in the Denfert-Rochereau neighborhood of Paris near Montparnasse. Daniel Cordier is best known for his works as a collector, an art dealer, the exhibitions he organized, his galleries — at one point in Paris, Frankfurt and New York —and his extensive donations to French art institutions. Through the exhibition one learns that Jean Moulin alias Rex, the famous French resistant, would be an early influence on his interest in art.

Parachuted into France in 1942, he would initially work as a radio operator. He would meet Moulin upon his arrival in Lyon and for nearly one year between July 1942 and June 1943, he would be in charge of the daily routine of « Rex », organizing his secretarial services, his typists and taking care of the mail and the radio operators. He would find him lodgings, meeting rooms, coded and decoded his telegrams and reports. He collected the archives and would handle the food and clothing for agents arriving from England. In short he was pivotal to the French Resistance and its operations. Jean Moulin was arrested on June 21st, 1943 and would die shortly thereafter in captivity. Daniel Cordier tried in vain to help him to escape.

After narrowly escaping his own arrest he returned to England in 1943 by way of Madrid, where he discovered the Prado museum that Jean Moulin had told him about. It was Moulin as well who gave him the book, The History of Contemporary Art by Christian Zervos, a copy of which is on display at the exhibition along with documents, the manual typewriter used for typing the air and sea operation reports, photographs and modern masterpieces of art and objects that once belonged to the great art collector that Daniel Cordier would become.

The Daniel Cordier exhibition draws to a close on July 13th but the museum itself is worthy of a visit. A chronological pathway beckons the visitor to discover the life and career of Jean Moulin and Philippe de Hauteclocque (The Free-French general during World War II simply known in France as Leclerc), the situation in France between the wars, the collapse in June 1940, the Occupation, the Resistance and the combats led by the Free French, all the way to the liberation of France, with Paris as its strongest symbol. Henri Rol-Tanguy, who held the command of the French Forces of the Interior in Paris, had his secret headquarters — which can be visited as part of the permanent collection — in the basement of the building that houses the museum. The permanent collections are free of charge. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. Musée De La Libération De Paris – Musée Du Général Leclerc – Musée Jean Moulin, 4, avenue du Colonel Rol Tanguy (Place Denfert Rochereau), 75014 Paris, France. Tel: +33 (0) 1 71 28 34 70. Tues-Sun, 10am until 6pm. https://www.museeliberation-leclerc-moulin.paris.fr/en