Les Métamorphoses du vide
With *Les Métamorphoses du vide*, Maurice Henry produced for Les Éditions de Minuit a rare postwar “story in images,” poised between picture-book, comics, and surrealist poetry. Adrien’s journey is dreamlike and elusive, driven by emptiness and transformation—something that unfolds as an experience rather than a conventional plot. The first edition comprises 64 colour plates on 32 leaves, 16 of them die-cut, turning viewing into a spatial event. This copy has the second-state cover (non die-cut), adopted after a first perforated version was dropped due to technical difficulties. Minuit’s restrained modern design throws Henry’s hallucinatory imagination into higher relief, sharpening the graphic wit. As an object it is both fragile and radical: paper, colour, and cut-outs become dramaturgy. A key item for collectors of postwar avant-garde printed matter.
Quantity
Henry, Maurice
Les Métamorphoses du vide
1955 | Paris | Les Editions de Minuit
A rare Minuit book-object: 64 colour plates with 16 die-cut leaves—surrealism that literally cuts through the page.
With *Les Métamorphoses du vide*, Maurice Henry produced for Les Éditions de Minuit a rare postwar “story in images,” poised between picture-book, comics, and surrealist poetry. Adrien’s journey is dreamlike and elusive, driven by emptiness and transformation—something that unfolds as an experience rather than a conventional plot. The first edition comprises 64 colour plates on 32 leaves, 16 of them die-cut, turning viewing into a spatial event. This copy has the second-state cover (non die-cut), adopted after a first perforated version was dropped due to technical difficulties. Minuit’s restrained modern design throws Henry’s hallucinatory imagination into higher relief, sharpening the graphic wit. As an object it is both fragile and radical: paper, colour, and cut-outs become dramaturgy. A key item for collectors of postwar avant-garde printed matter.
€780
Condition Report:
In-Depth Study
References & Bibliography
Format
In-8 (Octavo) approx. 20 × 26 cm
Edition Particulars
Second-state cover (non die-cut) per Vignes no. 198; 64 colour plates on 32 leaves, 16 die-cut.
Inscription
No inscription
Product DETAIL
A largely wordless “story in images” in which Adrien moves through a poetic universe of emptiness, slippage, and sudden metamorphoses. The sequence of 64 colour plates builds a dream logic—associative, comic, and at times unsettling. Sixteen die-cut leaves create overlays and visual jumps, letting scenes physically interpenetrate. The result is a near-cinematic rhythm of revelation and concealment, with the void acting as an active principle. The book is unpaginated, heightening the sense of a continuous, timeless passage. Rather than linear narrative, it offers a poetic experience—a paper machine for metamorphosis.
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
€680
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
Gracq, Julien · Bellmer, Hans
André Breton. Quelques aspects de l'écrivain.
A rare homage by Julien Gracq to André Breton, published by José Corti in a limited edition of 70 copies. This essay is both a powerful literary portrait and a visual tribute, thanks to Hans Bellmer’s iconic line portrait on the cover. Bellmer, known for his surrealist and psychosexual art, ties the book to the avant-garde movements of the 20th century. Gracq’s analysis is rigorous and insightful, reflecting his close engagement with Breton’s ideas. The collaboration between these two major figures and the fine print quality make this a coveted item for collectors of surrealist literature.
Illustrated Book
€500
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
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