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Avant Garde Catalogue

Explore rare avant-garde and surrealist books

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Sombre printemps. Traduit de l’allemand par Ruth Henry et Robert Valançay.
Zürn, Unica · Bellmer, Hans
Sombre printemps. Traduit de l’allemand par Ruth Henry et Robert Valançay.

This large and sumptuous edition of Sombre printemps brings together one of Unica Zürn’s most haunting texts and an original burin frontispiece by Hans Bellmer. Issued by Pierre Belfond as the French translation of Dunkler Frühling, it appeared when Zürn’s name had become inseparable from Bellmer’s. That proximity is not merely biographical here; it shapes the entire aura of the book, in which text and image seem to emerge from the same disturbed inner world. The deluxe issue, printed on vélin d’Arches and accompanied by an additional proof on japon nacré, gives the volume a distinctly bibliophilic status. Bellmer’s signed frontispiece does not simply decorate the text, but stands as a visual counterpoint to Zürn’s claustrophobic prose. The publication is all the more poignant for having followed so closely upon Zürn’s death, as though the book became both tribute and posthumous memorial. Within the Cahiers du Regard, it ranks among the most charged and desirable collaborations. For the collector, this copy unites literary intensity, surrealist resonance, and exceptional material refinement.

Illustrated Book
€1,400
Les Mystères du Confessionnal
Bouvier · Bellmer, Hans
Les Mystères du Confessionnal

A rare illustrated book that explores the decadence and sensual darkness of Catholicism. Hans Bellmer's engravings transform Bouvier's texts into a graphic exploration of forbidden desires. This work, situated at the intersection of literature and art, reveals a unique symbiosis between the provocative texts on the dark side of religion and Bellmer's unsettling, surrealist aesthetic. Bellmer's nine original burin engravings unveil a world of physical and psychological ambiguity and attest to his mastery as a printmaker and his fascination with the human form in all its distortions. The book is a testament to the subversive power of the illustrated edition and the way art and literature can reinforce each other to create an unforgettable statement.

Illustrated Book
€4,000
Le Cœur à gaz
Tzara, Tristan · Delaunay, Sonia
Le Cœur à gaz

This spectacular bibliophile edition of *Le Cœur à gaz* merges poetry and avant-garde theatre in a visually striking object. Illustrated with twelve lithographs by Sonia Delaunay, including seven full-page plates, it showcases the collaboration between Dadaist poet Tristan Tzara and modernist artist Delaunay. The prints are based on her 1923 costume designs, evoking the radical spirit of the time.

Illustrated Book
€3,000
La guerre et la paix
Roy, Claude · Picasso, Pablo
La guerre et la paix

*La guerre et la paix*, published in 1954, is a monumental overview of Pablo Picasso's work for the Vallauris chapel, accompanied by Claude Roy's text. This edition by Cercle d’Art forms an essential synthesis of Picasso’s post-war humanism and his resistance to the horrors of conflict. The book contains, alongside numerous reproductions, original lithographs that expose the dynamics of his artistic process. For the bibliophile, this work is a crucial testimony to the dialogue between word and image in the early 1950s.

Illustrated Book
€850
Führ 4 für vier
Garnier, Pierre · Finlay, Ian Hamilton · Gomringer, Eugen · Mon, Franz · Rühm, Gerhard · Kolář, Jiří · Spatola, Adriano · Williams, Emmett · Morellet, François · Kriwit, Ferdinand · Ulrichs, Timm
Führ 4 für vier

*Führ 4 für vier*, published in 1969, is an iconic collaborative work that completely blurs the boundaries between concrete poetry and concrete art. Edited by Jürgen Brenner and Kurt Weidemann, this large-format book-object brings together an international selection of the most important avant-garde voices of the 1960s. The work is not merely an anthology but a tactile and visual experiment where transparent sheets, serigraphs, and typographic compositions overlap. Featuring contributions from major figures such as Ian Hamilton Finlay, Eugen Gomringer, and François Morellet, it functions as a total work of art questioning the structural essence of language and form. The edition was strictly limited, and each copy was personally signed by all participating artists, confirming its status as a historical document. For the collector of concrete art and conceptual publications, this is an absolute cornerstone. Its physical execution as a blockbook with silver accents reflects the machine-like and minimalist aesthetics of the era.

Illustrated Book
€1,750
Hélène chez Archimède
Suarès, André
Hélène chez Archimède

Hélène chez Archimède is a remarkable example of the collaboration between a poet and a visual artist, in this case the French author André Suarès and the legendary Spanish master Pablo Picasso. The edition, illustrated with wood engravings, reveals the complex interplay between word and image that culminated in the production of illustrated books in the mid-20th century. This work, originally a project by the famous art dealer Ambroise Vollard, shows the enduring relevance of classical themes, here the myth of Helen, in a modernist context. Thanks to its careful execution and the exclusivity of its print run, Hélène chez Archimède is not only a literary work but also an art object, a testament to the artisanal perfection sought by the Nouveau Cercle parisien du Livre. It represents a significant moment in the history of the modern illustrated book, where the line between illustration and autonomous art blurs. The additions to this copy, such as a menu and an announcement leaflet, enrich its bibliographic and historical value and offer a rare glimpse into its publication context.

Illustrated Book
€3,500
Dieux et déesses ou hommage à Georges Braque
Malraux, André · Braque, Georges
Dieux et déesses ou hommage à Georges Braque

A monumental tribute to Georges Braque, designed by Pierre de Tartas and enriched with deeply embossed compositions. This bibliophile edition gathers texts by André Malraux and Hervé Alphand, evoking the symbolic and mythical dimensions of Braque’s work. The relief plates, often enhanced with gold leaf, radiate sacred power and sculptural intensity. An exceptional feat of intermedial book art, where typography, printmaking and sculpture merge.

Illustrated Book
€3,000
Bitran. L’Atelier
Boudaille, Georges · Bitran, Albert
Bitran. L’Atelier

*Bitran. L’Atelier* is a refined bibliophile artist’s publication devoted to Albert Bitran’s studio world, introduced by the critic Georges Boudaille. It brings together text, image, and object in the spirit of the post-war livre d’artiste: not merely as a monograph, but as a tactile approach to the artist’s working space. The folio format and portfolio presentation give it the character of a studio dossier rather than an ordinary book. This copy is one of only fifteen deluxe copies printed on mould-made Arches vellum. Bitran’s signed presentation inscription to Bernard Gheerbrandt, enhanced with a small original drawing, makes it a remarkable association copy.

Illustrated Book
€1,250
Le livre de Mariage
Sima, Josef
Le livre de Mariage

*Le livre de Mariage* stands among Josef Sima’s earliest and most refined experiments at the intersection of poetry, typography, and image. This Paris edition of 1922 gathers nuptial and love poems by Symbolist and related writers into a carefully orchestrated whole. Sima acted here not only as illustrator, but as the guiding force behind the entire conception. The 31 original woodcuts, both in the text and hors-texte, create a visual rhythm that feels almost musical. The austerity of black and white and the tactile quality of Montval paper deepen the intimacy of the book as object. As an early artist’s book, it already reveals Sima’s gift for fusing literature and image into a single poetic field.

Illustrated Book
€500
Il est toujours trop tard.   1924-1928
Scutenaire, Louis · van de Wouwer, Roger
Il est toujours trop tard. 1924-1928

This Antwerp publication by La Serfouette (1969) forms an unusually complete set as a “Réunion des 2 tirages” of *Il est toujours trop tard. 1924-1928*. It brings together two issues: an ‘ordinary’ issue in stiff orange paper wrappers and the deluxe issue with Roger van de Wouwer’s graphics. A telling peculiarity: the ordinary issue’s title page also states “Dix Gravures de Roger van de Wouwer”, yet the plates are in fact absent—functioning essentially as a textual ‘copy’ of the deluxe issue. The deluxe issue, by contrast, is complete and accompanied by a “suite de 10 eaux-fortes originales (avec cuvette)”: ten large black etchings, all signed and justified. The ordinary issue is further enriched with an important “envoi autographe signé à Jeanne Abraham et André Stas (note sur la priorité de parution)”, in which Scutenaire insists that this second edition is “in reality, the original” because it appeared weeks, if not months, before the illustrated issue. Together, the two volumes document textual history, bibliophile strategy, and the paradox of publication priority within Antwerp surrealism.

Illustrated Book
€950
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