Silex. Poèmes des cavernes
*Silex. Poèmes des cavernes* is a sculptural book of poems where primal signs meet modern verbal cadence. Issued as the second title in the *Cahiers de la Barbacane* series directed by Max Pons, it opens with a frontispiece by Ossip Zadkine. The interplay of prehistoric imagination and refined layout creates a deliberate archaic–modern tension. The generous folio typography lets the poems reverberate like in a cavern. Image and text proceed on parallel tracks rather than illustration and caption. The artisanal, limited issue underlines its bibliophilic intent. This Rives BFK copy bears a signed presentation at the colophon. A rare ensemble binding 1960s sensibility to a mythic deep time.
Quantity
Albert-Birot, Pierre
Zadkine, Ossip
Silex. Poèmes des cavernes
1966 | Bonaguil
A Barbacane keystone: low run, high intent, with envoi and proofs.
*Silex. Poèmes des cavernes* is a sculptural book of poems where primal signs meet modern verbal cadence. Issued as the second title in the *Cahiers de la Barbacane* series directed by Max Pons, it opens with a frontispiece by Ossip Zadkine. The interplay of prehistoric imagination and refined layout creates a deliberate archaic–modern tension. The generous folio typography lets the poems reverberate like in a cavern. Image and text proceed on parallel tracks rather than illustration and caption. The artisanal, limited issue underlines its bibliophilic intent. This Rives BFK copy bears a signed presentation at the colophon. A rare ensemble binding 1960s sensibility to a mythic deep time.
€580
Condition Report:
In-Depth Study
References & Bibliography
Format
In-folio (Folio) approx. 30 × 40 cm
Edition Particulars
Copy no. 3, one of 50 on vélin à la cuve B.F.K. de Rives; with signed presentation at the colophon; with 3 proof leaves on Alfax Navarre (octavo, unfolded).
Print Run
60
Copy Number
No. 3
Paper
vélin à la cuve B.F.K. de Rives
Inscription
Signed by the Author,Signed by the Illustrator
Product DETAIL
The collection probes a register of origins: flint, signs, echoes. The cave acts as a metaphor for memory and resonance. Folio scale and open margins sustain an oratorial cadence. The frontispiece sets an archaic figure that energizes rather than determines the poems. As part of *Cahiers de la Barbacane*, the project sits between heritage and contemporary experiment. Reading becomes both material and mythical.
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