PARIS.- Following the highly successful sale in 2012 and 2014 of part of the collection dedicated to great 20th century artists and writers,
Sotheby’s is staging a new event on 26 and 27 April in Paris, in partnership with Binoche and Giquello, featuring a fresh chapter in this exceptional collection. Expert Claude Oterelo will be joining Sotheby's specialists for the occasion. The sale will take place at the Galerie Charpentier under the hammers of both auction houses.
The fifth part is devoted to two of the 20th century's most revolutionary movements: Dada and Surrealism, with major writers like Aragon, Breton, Char, luard and Tzara rubbing shoulders with great artists such as Bellmer, Dal, Ernst, Kandinsky, Lger, Mir, Picasso and Tanguy.
This marvellous collection features some excellent items, often first limited deluxe editions, most of which contain moving envois, original drawings, autograph manuscripts and letters illustrating the friendship between these men and the prolific art of this time. Some copies have been bound by great masters like Bonet, Leroux and Martin.
The masterpieces of this collection include rare photography books, including the precious Champs dlicieux containing 12 of Man Ray's rayographs, and a copy of Hans Bellmer's La Poupe, probably unique.
THREE COPIES BELONGING TO PAUL LUARD BOUND BY PAUL BONET
Three of the most remarkable books in the collection belonged to Paul luard, each magnificently bound by Paul Bonet. The first, Ralentir Travaux, 1930, a first edition, is one of the first eight printed on antique Japan paper, with two long envois by Andr Breton and Ren Char to Paul luard (estimate: €30,000-40,000). The second, La Barre d’appui by Paul luard, 1936, is an extremely rare first edition illustrated with three remarkable original etchings by Pablo Picasso of the two artists' wives and muses. This copy signed by Picasso, one of 40 copies printed on special paper from the imperial factories in Tokyo, is enriched with numerous original documents by luard and Picasso: drawings, manuscripts and autograph letters (estimate: €120,000-150,000). Lastly, La Petite Anthologie du surralisme by Georges Hugnet, 1934 contains an original signed etching by Picasso with a collage of two bird feathers by the artist. This unique copy contains original documents in the form of photographs, poems, autograph letters (sometimes with illustrations) and autograph manuscripts by Breton, Char, Dal, Crevel, luard, Tzara, Magritte, Mir, Delvaux, Ernst, Valentine Hugo, Soupault, etc. (estimate: €100,000-120,000).
ANDR BRETON
Andr Breton, the father of Surrealism, is well-represented in this collection with nearly 60 lots. The splendid copy of L’Immacule Conception, 1930, by Georges Hugnet, includes two autograph texts by Paul luard, including one on Salvador Dal, and five original drawings by Dal from between 1930 and 1935 (estimate: €40,000-60,000).
The exquisite copy printed on Japon nacr of fine poems by Andr Breton, L’Air de l’Eau, 1934, a first edition that belonged to Alberto Giacometti, is illustrated with four original engravings by the sculptor and contains an envoi to the artist by Andr Breton (estimate: €40,000-60,000).
This section also contains several lots devoted to L’Amour Fou, forming an attractive, consistent ensemble. The last part of his trilogy which began with Nadja in 1928, was published in 1937. Here we have the very fine first draft manuscript (estimate: €8,000-10,000), the precious manuscript of the famous chapter that ends L'Amour fou (estimate: €10,000-15,000) and the first edition (estimate: €30,000-40,000): one of the rare examples on pink paper, containing a superb autograph envoi signed by Andr Breton to Gala and Salvador Dal, bound by Paul Bonet.
MODERN MASTERPIECES
Paul luard, the dominant author in this section with around 80 lots, had many artist friends, as witness his numerous envois to Picasso, Dal, Magritte, Man Ray and Valentine Hugo, and books illustrated by these painters. Manuscripts and autograph poems from every period feature here, including the very first from 1917.
Another important figure in this collection is Ren Char with the poem Nous avons, 1959, here in a first edition illustrated with 55 splendid etchings by Joan Mir, together with a double set of additional prints highlighted in gouache and a very attractive watercolour dedicated to Ren Char: "For Ren Char, my dear poet and friend, Mir" (estimate: €35,000-45,000).
Antonin Artaud is represented with a rare rough draft of the Manifeste du Thtre de la Cruaut. This rough outline, intended to convince Gaston Gallimard, shows how important it was for him to establish a genuine troupe that would convey his idea of the theatre. We know that his great book Le Thtre et son double (1938) had a considerable influence on the whole of contemporary avant-garde theatre (estimate: €3,500-4,500). In a very interesting autograph manuscript [Atre et Thyeste Marseille] of 6 July 1934, the author continues to develop the Thtre de la Cruaut, calling for a dramatic revolution: a preoccupation central to his life at that time (estimate: €3,000-4,000). Finally, we see a more intimate side to Artaud in ten-odd letters written between 1926 and 1947, dating from his Surrealist period until his confinement to a mental hospital.
L’Antitte, 1933, Tristan Tzara's first book illustrated by Picasso, was much admired by Paul luard: "L'Antitte is a marvellous book. Reading your poems, I realise that I love poetry as much ever; that it is inexhaustible. I envy you." This first edition printed on Japon nacr of one of the finest illustrated books in Surrealism is the copy owned by the publisher Ren Laporte, containing an original drawing by Picasso (estimate: €35,000-45,000). There is another exquisite copy of L‘Antitte illustrated with original etchings by Max Ernst, Joan Mir and Yves Tanguy, one of 23 copies printed on Holland paper with a set of additional prints (estimate: €40,000-50,000).
MANUSCRIPTS AND ORIGINAL DRAWINGS
This exceptional collection also contains manuscripts by great names in Dadaism and Surrealism, including an unpublished autograph diary by Salvador Dal, circa 1930-1935 (estimate: €40,000-50,000). This exceptional manuscript, running from day to day, contains notes, art reviews, impressions on art, numerous everyday expenses, etc., in minuscule writing in red and black ink, and is illustrated with magnificent original drawings: figures, nudes, erotic drawings, colonnades, horses, heads, and so on, jumbled up haphazardly throughout the text.
This unique document opens with a first page in cramped writing entirely devoted to cadavres exquis. It contains the address of filmmaker Ren Clair, who was close to the Surrealists and Dal, and the name of Corti, the depository of the Surrealists' publications.
Hans Bellmer, Oscar Dominguez, Ren Magritte, Joan Mir, Francis Picabia and Pablo Picasso are also represented in this remarkable collection.
ILLUSTRATED BOOKS OF PHOTOGRAPHS
In addition to these modern masterpieces, we find rare books illustrated with photographs including the precious Champs dlicieux embellished with 12 rayographs by Man Ray, and Bellmer's La Poupe. The former is an extremely rare album of photographs by Man Ray, Champs dlicieux, 1922 (estimate: €120,000-150,000). It is a key work showing the successful results of Man Ray's work on rayographs.
The unpublished album of Hans Bellmer's La Poupe, 1936, is probably a unique copy. It contains 15 original photographs, 5 of which are highlighted with aniline (estimate: €40,000-60,000). Another choice example is Les Jeux de la Poupe, 1949, one of the first 15 copies with a very fine original etching in two colours signed by Bellmer, and four unpublished photographs, all coloured in aniline by the artist, with which two further photographs are included (estimate: €90,000-120,000).
REVIEWS
The collection also features a number of leaflets, posters and rare reviews from the Futurist, Dadaist and Surrealist periods, such as Dada: an exceptional, comprehensive collection of one of the most important avant-garde reviews (a literary and artistic anthology edited by Tristan Tzara between 1917 and 1921), with 10 fascicules from issues no. 1 (July 1917) to no. 8 (March 1920), contained in a single lot estimated at €35,000 to 45,000, and 391.
