Un balcon en forêt
One of the finest French bibliophile pairings of literature and abstract painting from the early 1970s. In *Un balcon en forêt*, Gustave Singier’s original lithographs deepen Gracq’s mood of watchfulness and woodland melancholy. The generous folio format, issued in loose sheets, underscores the book as an art object. Issued by Les Bibliophiles de Provence with meticulous attention to typography, paper, and print. This copy is part of the desirable hors commerce issue on Lana paper, complemented by essays that illuminate author and artist. A benchmark for collectors of post-war French *livres d’artiste*.
Quantity
Gracq, Julien
Singier, Gustave
Un balcon en forêt
1973 | Marseille | Les Bibliophiles de Provence
A harmonious, understated *livre d’artiste* in which Singier’s color and rhythm renew Gracq’s novel; a scarce HC copy on Lana in fine condition.
One of the finest French bibliophile pairings of literature and abstract painting from the early 1970s. In *Un balcon en forêt*, Gustave Singier’s original lithographs deepen Gracq’s mood of watchfulness and woodland melancholy. The generous folio format, issued in loose sheets, underscores the book as an art object. Issued by Les Bibliophiles de Provence with meticulous attention to typography, paper, and print. This copy is part of the desirable hors commerce issue on Lana paper, complemented by essays that illuminate author and artist. A benchmark for collectors of post-war French *livres d’artiste*.
€580
Condition Report:
In-Depth Study
References & Bibliography
Format
In-folio (Folio) approx. 30 × 40 cm
Edition Particulars
Hors commerce copy no. 22 of 55 on Lana; with essays by Claude Cherrier (on Julien Gracq) and Jean Lescure (on Gustave Singier).
Print Run
415
Copy Number
HC 22
Paper
Lana
Product DETAIL
Gracq’s novel unfolds in the Ardennes on the eve of 1940, where Lieutenant Grange experiences waiting, love, and looming catastrophe. The prose marries stillness to subterranean tension; landscape description fuses with inner rhythm. Mist, bark, moss, and vanishing contours build a sensory lexicon. Among Gracq’s most approachable works, it retains a hypnotic, dream-like tone. In this edition, Singier’s lithographs mirror these motifs, turning the forest “balcony” into a mental theatre.

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

Waldberg, Patrick · Ernst, Max
Aux Petits Agneaux
A artist’s book resulting from the collaboration between writer Patrick Waldberg and surrealist master Max Ernst. This first edition includes 19 original lithographs printed on luxurious vélin d'Arches. Published in Paris in 1971 in a limited edition of 174 copies signed by both author and artist, and presented in a custom publisher’s box.
Illustrated Book
€2,200

Bédouin, Jean-Louis · Hallart, Guy
L'arbre descend du singe
L'Arbre descend du singe is a beautifully illustrated edition that highlights the collaboration between the poet Jean-Louis Bedouin and the artist Guy Hallart. The work, published in a limited edition, is characterized by a rich dialogue between poetry and image, where the visual compositions reflect the dreamy and often cryptic nature of Bedouin's texts. The book is a tangible testament to the artistic symbiosis between the two creators and offers a unique insight into a creative dialogue from the mid-1970s.
Illustrated Book
€700

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

When a Signature Becomes Provenance
A signature confirms; a dedication connects; an association copy tells a story.

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In auction descriptions, “complete” often sounds reassuring — but it is only meaningful when verified against the colophon, the justification, and the bibliography. For The Hidden Page, clarity begins where vague market language ends.

Size does (not) matter
Size does (not) matter: The Paradoxical Power of Format in Avant-Garde Book Art
















































































