Shakespeare
Published in Paris in 1965 by Éditions Cercle d’Art, Shakespeare brings together a prose text by Louis Aragon with twelve full-page lithographs after drawings by Pablo Picasso. Conceived for the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, the book reads as both homage and reinvention. Green facsimile initials taken from Aragon’s handwriting punctuate the typography. Picasso’s black lithographs operate like stage sets: minimal line, maximum presence. The generous in-folio format and Arches paper signal bibliophilic intent. This copy belongs to the desirable issue carrying an original lithograph signed by Picasso. The red silk binding with matching slipcase provides a modern livery for a classic subject. A landmark of the post-war French livre d’artiste, balancing text and image without hierarchy.
Quantity
Aragon, Louis
Picasso, Pablo
Shakespeare
1965 | Paris | Éditions Cercle d’Art
A choice piece for any library tracing the dialogue of letters and the visual arts. Rare in this condition, with the signed lithograph. A copy where meaning and beauty meet.
Published in Paris in 1965 by Éditions Cercle d’Art, Shakespeare brings together a prose text by Louis Aragon with twelve full-page lithographs after drawings by Pablo Picasso. Conceived for the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, the book reads as both homage and reinvention. Green facsimile initials taken from Aragon’s handwriting punctuate the typography. Picasso’s black lithographs operate like stage sets: minimal line, maximum presence. The generous in-folio format and Arches paper signal bibliophilic intent. This copy belongs to the desirable issue carrying an original lithograph signed by Picasso. The red silk binding with matching slipcase provides a modern livery for a classic subject. A landmark of the post-war French livre d’artiste, balancing text and image without hierarchy.
€3,450
Condition Report:
In-Depth Study
References & Bibliography
Format
In-folio (Folio) approx. 30 × 40 cm
Edition Particulars
One of 125 numbered copies on Arches, with an original lithograph signed by Picasso.
Print Run
150
Copy Number
No. XXXI (boek); litho 31/150
Paper
Arches
Inscription
Signed by the Illustrator
Product DETAIL
Aragon approaches Shakespeare not as scholarship but through kinships: motifs, masks, and voices unfold into lyrical essay-prose. The text revives themes—love, power, metamorphosis—in a contemporary cadence. Green initials lend a manuscript intimacy to the page. Picasso’s black lithographs reduce faces and props to the essence of gesture. Together they form a sequence of tableaux, like a rehearsal of the whole oeuvre. The tension between visual economy and verbal energy makes the book uniquely legible. Editorial form becomes interpretation. The result reads as both commentary and creation.
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