Ici repose
*Ici repose* is a characteristic Fata Morgana publication, bringing together the poetic voice of Claude Sernet with a frontispiece and, in the deluxe copies, an original colour etching by Jacques Hérold. It belongs to that discreet yet highly charged category of books in which text and image do more than merely coexist: they deepen one another. The restrained format, issued loose in wrappers with flaps, perfectly suits the Montpellier press aesthetic of the 1960s. Sernet, whose poetry often maintains a tone of inward tension, finds here an especially apt visual counterpart in Hérold. The latter brings with him the legacy of Surrealism, though in a concentrated graphic form. The result is a bibliophilic edition in which modern poetry and artists’ printmaking meet with rare elegance. The Arches copies with signed etching make the book all the more desirable for collectors.
Quantity
Sernet, Claude
Hérold, Jacques
Ici repose
1967 | Montpellier | Fata Morgana
A restrained yet remarkably well-positioned Fata Morgana edition, in which Claude Sernet and Jacques Hérold meet within a bibliophilic object of great sensitivity. The combination of deluxe issue, signed etching, and author’s signature makes this copy especially compelling.
*Ici repose* is a characteristic Fata Morgana publication, bringing together the poetic voice of Claude Sernet with a frontispiece and, in the deluxe copies, an original colour etching by Jacques Hérold. It belongs to that discreet yet highly charged category of books in which text and image do more than merely coexist: they deepen one another. The restrained format, issued loose in wrappers with flaps, perfectly suits the Montpellier press aesthetic of the 1960s. Sernet, whose poetry often maintains a tone of inward tension, finds here an especially apt visual counterpart in Hérold. The latter brings with him the legacy of Surrealism, though in a concentrated graphic form. The result is a bibliophilic edition in which modern poetry and artists’ printmaking meet with rare elegance. The Arches copies with signed etching make the book all the more desirable for collectors.
€400
Condition Report:
In-Depth Study
References & Bibliography
Format
In-8 (Octavo) approx. 20 × 26 cm
Edition Particulars
One of 60 copies among the 80 deluxe Arches issues, with a signed and justified original colour etching; copy signed by the author on the justification page.
Print Run
420
Copy Number
No. 70
Paper
Arches
Inscription
Signed by the Author,Signed by the Illustrator
Product DETAIL
The title suggests a poetic meditation on rest, absence, memory, and the proximity of death. The volume most likely centres not on narrative development but on a sequence of poems or brief lyrical units in which an inward voice speaks out of loss, silence, or reflection. The book is set not in a concrete narrative environment but in a mental and emotional space. Its core seems to lie in the tension between presence and erasure, between what still speaks and what has already fallen silent. The reader is thus led through a compact, concentrated poetic world in which every formulation carries weight. Jacques Hérold’s frontispiece reinforces that meditative and faintly troubling tone. The overall atmosphere is grave, restrained, and modern, with affinities to postwar lyric poetry and a Surrealist sensibility.
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.
Illustrated Book
€920
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.
Illustrated Book
€2,200
Derain, André
Amis & Amille. Mystère du XIVe siècle.
This sumptuously bound book brings a medieval mystery to life through a rare collaboration between ancient literature and modern illustration. The geometric box design on garnet morocco provides striking contrast. André Derain’s 22 color lithographs – including one double and three full-page – enhance the narrative with expressive visual force. Printed on Rives vellum in an edition of 180 numbered copies, this copy (No. 72) was made for Baroness Vaxelaire and includes a suite on fine Japanese paper. The binding by Lucie Weill exemplifies artisanal excellence. A harmonious blend of narrative tradition and graphic daring.
Illustrated Book
€1,460
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.
Illustrated Book
€700
When a Signature Becomes Provenance
A signature confirms; a dedication connects; an association copy tells a story.
The Fragile Meaning of ‘Complet’
In auction descriptions, “complete” often sounds reassuring — but it is only meaningful when verified against the colophon, the justification, and the bibliography. For The Hidden Page, clarity begins where vague market language ends.
The Avant-Garde and the Illustrated Word
How the Twentieth Century Recast the Book as an Artistic and Ideological Medium