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Führ 4 für vier

SKU FUHR-001

*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was strictly limited, and each copy was personally signed by all participating artists, confirming its status as a historical document.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.

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Führ 4 für vier
1969 | Stuttgart | Cantz
A unique total work of art of the concrete avant-garde, signed by the participating grandmasters.

*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was strictly limited, and each copy was personally signed by all participating artists, confirming its status as a historical document.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.

€1,750
Condition Report:
In-Depth Study
References & Bibliography
Format
In-4 (Quarto) approx. 25 × 32 cm
Edition Particulars
Artist’s copy no. LXIX of LXX, within a total edition of 150 copies, signed by all artists.
Print Run
150
Copy Number
No. LXIX
Inscription
Signed by the Author,Signed by the Illustrator

Product DETAIL

*Führ 4 für vier* presents a series of autonomous yet interconnected contributions exploring the relationship between text, image, and medium. The book opens with typographic experiments by the pioneers of concrete poetry, where the visual arrangement of words is more important than semantic meaning. The focus then shifts to concrete art, with works playing with geometric abstraction and optical effects. Through the use of transparent materials, the reader can overlay different layers, creating new compositions. Texts by authors like Franz Mon and Gerhard Rühm challenge the conventional reading experience by deconstructing language into its smallest units. Central to the work is the belief that art should be an objective, methodical construction. The work concludes with a manifesto-like synthesis of the participating artists. The atmosphere is analytical, modern, and uncompromisingly experimental.

Arrière-histoire du poème pulvérisé
Char, Rene · Stael, Nicolas de
Arrière-histoire du poème pulvérisé

*Arrière-histoire du poème pulvérisé* is a later illustrated edition of a key text in which René Char looks back on the genesis and inner background of *Le Poème pulvérisé*. Published in 1972 by Imprimerie Union, it opens with a colour frontispiece by Nicolas de Staël. The pairing of Char and de Staël is especially charged: two post-war voices, each seeking concentration, clarity, and rupture in his own medium. This copy is one of only six hors commerce copies on Arches and is signed. The autograph presentation inscription to Doctor Marcel Zara, with poetic quotation and October 1972 dating, makes it a deeply personal copy.

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Aux Petits Agneaux
Waldberg, Patrick · Ernst, Max
Aux Petits Agneaux

A artist’s book resulting from the collaboration between writer Patrick Waldberg and surrealist master Max Ernst. This first edition includes 19 original lithographs printed on luxurious vélin d'Arches. Published in Paris in 1971 in a limited edition of 174 copies signed by both author and artist, and presented in a custom publisher’s box.

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€2,200
L'arbre descend du singe
Bédouin, Jean-Louis · Hallart, Guy
L'arbre descend du singe

L'Arbre descend du singe is a beautifully illustrated edition that highlights the collaboration between the poet Jean-Louis Bedouin and the artist Guy Hallart. The work, published in a limited edition, is characterized by a rich dialogue between poetry and image, where the visual compositions reflect the dreamy and often cryptic nature of Bedouin's texts. The book is a tangible testament to the artistic symbiosis between the two creators and offers a unique insight into a creative dialogue from the mid-1970s.

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€700
Arriver à se réveiller
Michaux, Henri · Bettencourt, Pierre
Arriver à se réveiller

A rare first edition of Arriver à se réveiller, written by Henri Michaux in the tremulous post-war years. The text unfolds as an inward journey toward lucidity, where sleep and waking mirror each other. Printed and published by Pierre Bettencourt in his own workshop, the edition’s small run preserves the work’s intimacy. The title-page vignette, a linocut by Bettencourt, sets a spare, rhythmic visual key that amplifies Michaux’s vigilant, vulnerable tone. This copy is handsomely bound in brown morocco with balsa boards by Miguet, a tactile nod to lightness under tension. For bibliophiles, it is an exemplary union of poetry, craft, and experiment. The volume embodies the independence of the post-war small press and Michaux’s radical sensitivity.

Illustrated Book
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