Sacrifices
Masson. Bataille, Georges
Paris. G[uy]. L[évis]. M[ano]. 1933 / 1936
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A beautiful copy of Masson's rare Sacrifices from the unfinished edition.
From the edition limited to 150 copies, with this one of 140 on vélin d'Arches numbered in pencil on the justification, however only c.60 copies (see below) were ever printed.
'Une partie seulement de l'édition a été imprimée, environ 60 exemplaires.' (Cramer).
'Although the colophon states an edition of 150, only part was printed in anticipation of sales. The printer died in the interim and his widow sold the contents of the atelier; as it was the beginning of the war, the plates disappeared.' (Saphire).
Masson illustrates the images of the great Sacrifices from Classical mythology and elsewhere. The prints are titled, Minotaure, Osiris, Mithra, Orphee, and Le Crucifie.
Masson and Bataille work on Sacrifices relates directly to to Spanish Civil War and their conviction that neither capitalism nor Marxism offered the answers to the powerful Nazi message. (Masson was living in Catalonia at the time).
'Jeanne Bucher undertook in 1933 to publish the album ... Because there were few subscribers, she dropped the project which GLM published in 1936 ... The mysterious visual quality of this series is a culmination of the approach Masson had employed in most of his previous book illustrations and makes Sacrifices a hallmark in the artist's print oeuvre.' (Saphire, André Masson, The Complete Graphic Work).
[Cramer 11;
From the edition limited to 150 copies, with this one of 140 on vélin d'Arches numbered in pencil on the justification, however only c.60 copies (see below) were ever printed.
'Une partie seulement de l'édition a été imprimée, environ 60 exemplaires.' (Cramer).
'Although the colophon states an edition of 150, only part was printed in anticipation of sales. The printer died in the interim and his widow sold the contents of the atelier; as it was the beginning of the war, the plates disappeared.' (Saphire).
Masson illustrates the images of the great Sacrifices from Classical mythology and elsewhere. The prints are titled, Minotaure, Osiris, Mithra, Orphee, and Le Crucifie.
Masson and Bataille work on Sacrifices relates directly to to Spanish Civil War and their conviction that neither capitalism nor Marxism offered the answers to the powerful Nazi message. (Masson was living in Catalonia at the time).
'Jeanne Bucher undertook in 1933 to publish the album ... Because there were few subscribers, she dropped the project which GLM published in 1936 ... The mysterious visual quality of this series is a culmination of the approach Masson had employed in most of his previous book illustrations and makes Sacrifices a hallmark in the artist's print oeuvre.' (Saphire, André Masson, The Complete Graphic Work).
[Cramer 11;
[Single bifolium and 9 leaves]. Folio. (464 x 348 mm). Leaf with printed title, three leaves with Bataille's text recto only, leaf with 'Table' and 5 original etchings by André Masson printed in sanguine, final leaf with justification; sheet size: 460 x 350 mm. Loose as issued in original publisher's orange printed wrappers with titles in black to front cover and orange silk ties, later red morocco-backed chemise with gilt title to spine and slipcase.
#45297
