Rhapsodie de ma nuit.
Rhapsodie de ma nuit, written by Emmanuel Looten and illustrated by Karel Appel, is a masterful post-war fusion of poetic text and avant-garde visual art. This original edition (33.5 × 25.5 cm), printed on fine Rives B.F.K. paper, contains 32 pages of text framed by two black folios, and includes six original color lithographs by Appel (with one repeated on the cover, totaling seven). Issued in a limited edition of 75 numbered and signed copies, plus 25 hors commerce.
Quantity
Looten, Emmanuel
Appel, Karel
Rhapsodie de ma nuit.
1959 | Paris | Falaize
Rhapsodie de ma nuit is a rare, poetic and visual collaboration that captures the spirit of European post-war avant-garde. The signed dedication makes this copy an intimate fragment of cultural history.
Rhapsodie de ma nuit, written by Emmanuel Looten and illustrated by Karel Appel, is a masterful post-war fusion of poetic text and avant-garde visual art. This original edition (33.5 × 25.5 cm), printed on fine Rives B.F.K. paper, contains 32 pages of text framed by two black folios, and includes six original color lithographs by Appel (with one repeated on the cover, totaling seven). Issued in a limited edition of 75 numbered and signed copies, plus 25 hors commerce.
€2,200
Condition Report:
In-Depth Study
References & Bibliography
Format
In-4 (Quarto) approx. 25 × 32 cm
Edition Particulars
Total edition of 75 copies + 25 hors commerce, this is No. 19
Paper
vélin de Rives BFK
Inscription
Signed by the Author,Signed by the Illustrator
Product DETAIL
Looten unfolds a nocturnal, existential journey in poetic form — his language sharp, sensuous, and introspective. The piece resonates with longing for transformation and confronts the shadows of being with lyrical tension.
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
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
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.
