Anthologie de l'Humour Noir
Picasso, Pablo. Breton, André
Paris. Editions du Sagittaire. 1940
An excellent, unsophisticated copy of André Breton's important 'Anthologie de l'Humour Noir' with the frontispiece etching by Picasso and Oscar Dominguez's unique cover.
From the edition limited to 57 numbered copies with Oscar Dominguez's unique cover, with this one of 17 issued with the original etching by Picasso and one of 10 on Hollande van Gelder; an ordinary edition was also issued with a different cover.
Although the justification states that the cover is by Marcel Duchamp, it is actually an original work by Oscar Dominguez and a card (see below) is inserted with acknowledgement of the error. In addition the justification states that the original etching by Picasso issued in 17 copies is signed, however, no examples of the etching are signed.
Picasso's engraving, an etching with aquatint, grattoir and burin, is a protrait of Dora Maar and is titled 'Buste de la Femme à la Chaise'; the etching was printed in Paris by Roger Lacourière.
Inserted loose are the following:
- the small card (80 x 188 mm) with the printed acknowledgement: 'M. Marcel Duchamp étant / actuellement en Amérique, la couver- / ture des exemplaires de luxe est de / M. DOMINGUEZ [sic].'
- the invitation (160 x 120 mm) with the reproduction of a Tanguy drawing for 'André Breton parler de l'Humour Noir' at the 'Exposition Internationale Paris 1937' on Saturday, October 9th at the Comédie des Champs-Elysées in rue Montaigne.
The cover label, pasted at the head of the front cover on Dominguez's wrapper, appears to occur in two forms: with the text in the green matching that used by Dominguez for his illumination, or, in blue as here.
The 'Anthologie de l'Humour Noir' features Breton's preface (here, as per Lichtenberg, a 'paratonnerre' i.e. lightning-rod) and his homage to forty literary Surrealist heroes and precursors. Beginning with Jonathan Swift, each figure is analysed, and a bibliography given as well as extracts from their works (for Swift these include a translation of 'A Modest Proposal') presented in French (where applicable translated). Among those selected for inclusion in the Surrealist pantheon are: Sade, de Quincey, Poe, Pétrus Borel, Baudelaire, Lewis Carroll, Charles Cros, Nietzsche, de Lautréamont (Isidore Ducasse), Huysmans, Rimbaud, Synge, Jarry, Roussel, Picabia, Apollinaire, Picasso, Cravan, Kafka, Duchamp, Arp, Dali and Gisèle Prassinos.
'In the book's preface, entitled 'Partonnerre', Breton defines humor partly in Hegelian, partly in Freudian terms. The individual who sees the hostile exterior world with black humor pretends to accept it, while in fact taking his revenge on it; at the same time, by transferring his distress to impersonal mechanisms (the Freudian superego), he guarantees that his personal enjoyment is in no way constrained.' (Patrick Cramer).
'Envisagé au moins dès le début de 1935, l'ouvrage a vu sa première édition, à peine sortie des presses du Sagittaire en 1940 après des péripéties éditoriales compliquées, encourir l'interdiction de toute diffusion du fait de la censure du gouvernement de Vichy et attendre 1945 pour connaître enfin, en sourdine, son premier public, avant d'entamer en profondeur un cheminement dont le succès, jalonné de nombreuses rééditions, atteste qu'il s'agit là d'un de ces livres qui modèlent puissamment le profil d'une époque?' (Étienne-Alain Hubert, in 'Breton, Oeuvres Complètes II', 1992).
'The story of the completion of the book's printing (June 10, 1940) is in itself a small masterpiece of black humour. June 10 was the day Italy declared war on France, and German troops were advancing towards Paris, which they entered four days later. As a result of these events, the binding of the printed book was delayed by three years. The colophon mentions a cover by Marcel Duchamp. He, like Breton himself, was in the United States by this time, so the publisher asked Oscar Dominguez, one of the most active of the surrealists, to do the cover. The colophon also states that Picasso signed the etching which is given with the first thirteen copies of the book, but this is not, in fact, the case, and the book was distributed with the unsigned prints.' (Patrick Cramer).
[Cramer 34; Baer 643/X/B/b].
From the edition limited to 57 numbered copies with Oscar Dominguez's unique cover, with this one of 17 issued with the original etching by Picasso and one of 10 on Hollande van Gelder; an ordinary edition was also issued with a different cover.
Although the justification states that the cover is by Marcel Duchamp, it is actually an original work by Oscar Dominguez and a card (see below) is inserted with acknowledgement of the error. In addition the justification states that the original etching by Picasso issued in 17 copies is signed, however, no examples of the etching are signed.
Picasso's engraving, an etching with aquatint, grattoir and burin, is a protrait of Dora Maar and is titled 'Buste de la Femme à la Chaise'; the etching was printed in Paris by Roger Lacourière.
Inserted loose are the following:
- the small card (80 x 188 mm) with the printed acknowledgement: 'M. Marcel Duchamp étant / actuellement en Amérique, la couver- / ture des exemplaires de luxe est de / M. DOMINGUEZ [sic].'
- the invitation (160 x 120 mm) with the reproduction of a Tanguy drawing for 'André Breton parler de l'Humour Noir' at the 'Exposition Internationale Paris 1937' on Saturday, October 9th at the Comédie des Champs-Elysées in rue Montaigne.
The cover label, pasted at the head of the front cover on Dominguez's wrapper, appears to occur in two forms: with the text in the green matching that used by Dominguez for his illumination, or, in blue as here.
The 'Anthologie de l'Humour Noir' features Breton's preface (here, as per Lichtenberg, a 'paratonnerre' i.e. lightning-rod) and his homage to forty literary Surrealist heroes and precursors. Beginning with Jonathan Swift, each figure is analysed, and a bibliography given as well as extracts from their works (for Swift these include a translation of 'A Modest Proposal') presented in French (where applicable translated). Among those selected for inclusion in the Surrealist pantheon are: Sade, de Quincey, Poe, Pétrus Borel, Baudelaire, Lewis Carroll, Charles Cros, Nietzsche, de Lautréamont (Isidore Ducasse), Huysmans, Rimbaud, Synge, Jarry, Roussel, Picabia, Apollinaire, Picasso, Cravan, Kafka, Duchamp, Arp, Dali and Gisèle Prassinos.
'In the book's preface, entitled 'Partonnerre', Breton defines humor partly in Hegelian, partly in Freudian terms. The individual who sees the hostile exterior world with black humor pretends to accept it, while in fact taking his revenge on it; at the same time, by transferring his distress to impersonal mechanisms (the Freudian superego), he guarantees that his personal enjoyment is in no way constrained.' (Patrick Cramer).
'Envisagé au moins dès le début de 1935, l'ouvrage a vu sa première édition, à peine sortie des presses du Sagittaire en 1940 après des péripéties éditoriales compliquées, encourir l'interdiction de toute diffusion du fait de la censure du gouvernement de Vichy et attendre 1945 pour connaître enfin, en sourdine, son premier public, avant d'entamer en profondeur un cheminement dont le succès, jalonné de nombreuses rééditions, atteste qu'il s'agit là d'un de ces livres qui modèlent puissamment le profil d'une époque?' (Étienne-Alain Hubert, in 'Breton, Oeuvres Complètes II', 1992).
'The story of the completion of the book's printing (June 10, 1940) is in itself a small masterpiece of black humour. June 10 was the day Italy declared war on France, and German troops were advancing towards Paris, which they entered four days later. As a result of these events, the binding of the printed book was delayed by three years. The colophon mentions a cover by Marcel Duchamp. He, like Breton himself, was in the United States by this time, so the publisher asked Oscar Dominguez, one of the most active of the surrealists, to do the cover. The colophon also states that Picasso signed the etching which is given with the first thirteen copies of the book, but this is not, in fact, the case, and the book was distributed with the unsigned prints.' (Patrick Cramer).
[Cramer 34; Baer 643/X/B/b].
[132 leaves + 20 leaves of glossy paper (portraits); pp. 262, (i)]. Large 8vo. (233 x 164 mm). Half-title with 'Ouvrages d'André Breton' verso, leaf with Picasso's original etching with aquatint and burin verso as frontispiece, title with justification verso, Breton's preface 'Paratonnerre' and text with commentary, bibliography and excerpt from the works of 40 'humourists' illustrated with 20 captioned portraits on glossy paper, leaf with 'Table des Illustrations', leaf with 'Table des Matières' and final leaf with achevé d'imprimer and printer's credit. Original publisher's printed wrappers with overall original monochrome décalcomanie by Oscar Dominguez, the front and rear covers with illumination in green ink by Dominguez, the front cover with black paper label with titles in blue and signed by Dominguez in the same ink at lower right.
#48557
