top of page

Sombre printemps. Traduit de l’allemand par Ruth Henry et Robert Valançay.

SKU SOMB-001
Price

€1,400.00

This large and sumptuous edition of Sombre printemps brings together one of Unica Zürn’s most haunting texts and an original burin frontispiece by Hans Bellmer. Issued by Pierre Belfond as the French translation of Dunkler Frühling, it appeared when Zürn’s name had become inseparable from Bellmer’s. That proximity is not merely biographical here; it shapes the entire aura of the book, in which text and image seem to emerge from the same disturbed inner world. The deluxe issue, printed on vélin d’Arches and accompanied by an additional proof on japon nacré, gives the volume a distinctly bibliophilic status. Bellmer’s signed frontispiece does not simply decorate the text, but stands as a visual counterpoint to Zürn’s claustrophobic prose. The publication is all the more poignant for having followed so closely upon Zürn’s death, as though the book became both tribute and posthumous memorial. Within the Cahiers du Regard, it ranks among the most charged and desirable collaborations. For the collector, this copy unites literary intensity, surrealist resonance, and exceptional material refinement.

Quantity

Sombre printemps. Traduit de l’allemand par Ruth Henry et Robert Valançay.
1971 | Paris | Pierre Belfond
A rare and hauntingly beautiful copy in which text, engraving, and fate converge.

This large and sumptuous edition of Sombre printemps brings together one of Unica Zürn’s most haunting texts and an original burin frontispiece by Hans Bellmer. Issued by Pierre Belfond as the French translation of Dunkler Frühling, it appeared when Zürn’s name had become inseparable from Bellmer’s. That proximity is not merely biographical here; it shapes the entire aura of the book, in which text and image seem to emerge from the same disturbed inner world. The deluxe issue, printed on vélin d’Arches and accompanied by an additional proof on japon nacré, gives the volume a distinctly bibliophilic status. Bellmer’s signed frontispiece does not simply decorate the text, but stands as a visual counterpoint to Zürn’s claustrophobic prose. The publication is all the more poignant for having followed so closely upon Zürn’s death, as though the book became both tribute and posthumous memorial. Within the Cahiers du Regard, it ranks among the most charged and desirable collaborations. For the collector, this copy unites literary intensity, surrealist resonance, and exceptional material refinement.

€1,400
Condition Report:
In-Depth Study
References & Bibliography
Format
In-folio (Folio) approx. 30 × 40 cm
Edition Particulars
One of 150 copies numbered in Arabic numerals, with the signed frontispiece and an additional proof on japon nacré.
Print Run
170
Copy Number
No. 124
Paper
vélin d’Arches; épreuve de la gravure sur japon nacré
Inscription
Signed by the Illustrator
1
Edition Particulars:
We welcome private inquiries, collaborations with institutions, and acquisition requests. Each message is treated with discretion and respect. We welcome private inquiries, collaborations with institutions, and acquisition requests.
1
Print Run:
Condition Report:
1
Copy Number:
Condition Report:
1
Paper:
Condition Report:
1
Signed:
Condition Report:

Product DETAIL

The narrative follows an unnamed thirteen-year-old girl growing up in a stifling bourgeois environment, where the awakening of her body is felt as both fascination and threat. The story unfolds within the enclosed world of family, school, and inner fantasy, where the child is at once curious and exposed. As her desire becomes more sharply defined, her relation to her own body, to adults, and to forbidden images grows increasingly disturbed. The text develops as a fictional autobiography in which perception, shame, fascination, and fear are tightly interwoven. What begins as a discovery of sexuality and imagination gradually turns into isolation, obsession, and psychic disintegration. The tensions accumulate until the girl sees no escape and throws herself from a window. The book is thus both an account of adolescence and a record of fatal inner escalation. Only in its final register does it become a dark meditation on desire, guilt, and self-loss, written in a voice poised between dream and confession.

Les Mystères du Confessionnal
Bouvier · Bellmer, Hans
Les Mystères du Confessionnal

A rare illustrated book that explores the decadence and sensual darkness of Catholicism. Hans Bellmer's engravings transform Bouvier's texts into a graphic exploration of forbidden desires. This work, situated at the intersection of literature and art, reveals a unique symbiosis between the provocative texts on the dark side of religion and Bellmer's unsettling, surrealist aesthetic. Bellmer's nine original burin engravings unveil a world of physical and psychological ambiguity and attest to his mastery as a printmaker and his fascination with the human form in all its distortions. The book is a testament to the subversive power of the illustrated edition and the way art and literature can reinforce each other to create an unforgettable statement.

Ill Book
€4,000
Le Cœur à gaz
Tzara, Tristan · Delaunay, Sonia
Le Cœur à gaz

This spectacular bibliophile edition of *Le Cœur à gaz* merges poetry and avant-garde theatre in a visually striking object. Illustrated with twelve lithographs by Sonia Delaunay, including seven full-page plates, it showcases the collaboration between Dadaist poet Tristan Tzara and modernist artist Delaunay. The prints are based on her 1923 costume designs, evoking the radical spirit of the time.

Ill Book
€3,000
Führ 4 für vier
Garnier, Pierre · Finlay, Ian Hamilton · Gomringer, Eugen · Mon, Franz · Rühm, Gerhard · Kolář, Jiří · Spatola, Adriano · Williams, Emmett · Morellet, François · Kriwit, Ferdinand · Ulrichs, Timm
Führ 4 für vier

*Führ 4 für vier*, published in 1969, is an iconic collaborative work that completely blurs the boundaries between concrete poetry and concrete art. Edited by Jürgen Brenner and Kurt Weidemann, this large-format book-object brings together an international selection of the most important avant-garde voices of the 1960s. The work is not merely an anthology but a tactile and visual experiment where transparent sheets, serigraphs, and typographic compositions overlap. Featuring contributions from major figures such as Ian Hamilton Finlay, Eugen Gomringer, and François Morellet, it functions as a total work of art questioning the structural essence of language and form. The edition was strictly limited, and each copy was personally signed by all participating artists, confirming its status as a historical document. For the collector of concrete art and conceptual publications, this is an absolute cornerstone. Its physical execution as a blockbook with silver accents reflects the machine-like and minimalist aesthetics of the era.

Ill Book
€1,750
Dieux et déesses ou hommage à Georges Braque
Malraux, André · Braque, Georges
Dieux et déesses ou hommage à Georges Braque

A monumental tribute to Georges Braque, designed by Pierre de Tartas and enriched with deeply embossed compositions. This bibliophile edition gathers texts by André Malraux and Hervé Alphand, evoking the symbolic and mythical dimensions of Braque’s work. The relief plates, often enhanced with gold leaf, radiate sacred power and sculptural intensity. An exceptional feat of intermedial book art, where typography, printmaking and sculpture merge.

Ill Book
€3,000
Studies & Dossiers
a2528886ab741f214e81c180bed24f0dd3fc06e8.png
The ‘destroyed’ copies of La lampe dans l’horloge

Books thrive on rumours. This is the story of a first issue Breton ‘made disappear’—and the copies that persisted.

bottom of page