Valentine HUGO - Original Print - Drypoint - Paul Eluard (A poem in each Paul Eluard book) 5

Artist : Valentine HUGO (1887-1968)

Title : Paul Eluard, 1955

Medium : Drypoint on paper​

Type of work : Original print hand-signed by the artist in pencil lower right and annotated "Ep d'essai". This work is an additional wide-margined edition of illustration 15 of the tribute book to Eluard "a poem in each book" published in 1956 in 120 copies. In the book illustration 15 is positioned next to Paul Eluard's poem "For a better pride" from the collection "natural course" (1938). The work offered here comes from the album called "Album A", Reprinted from the book in 20 copies. Each album contains like the book 16 prints but they were printed with large margins and unlike the prints in the book, all signed or monogrammed by the artists. The album we have was the property of the publisher Louis BRODER. It stands out from the others because it is enriched in addition to the 16 wide-margined illustrations of many other prints (including this work by Valentine Hugo) collected by the publisher throughout his collaboration with the artists on this book.

Dimensions : 32.5 x 25 cm (Picture 14.5 x 10.5 cm)

Condition : Good

Provenance : Genevieve and Jean Paul Kahn collection

Expert's comment : In progress

The Album and the Book :

Explanatory photo 1: Comparison between Album A offprint of "a poem in each book" printed in 20 copies and the book "a poem in each book" printed in 120 copies.
Explanatory photo 2: Album A offprint of 20 copies having belonged to the publisher Louis Broder contained in a gray canvas box with a label stuck on the back and the first cover.
Explanatory photo 3: Proof of printing of Album A which indicates the maximum number of copies of prints contained in total in the 20 albums as well as the names of the artists. It is annotated in red pencil "Editor's copy B" because it belonged to Louis Broder.
Explanatory photo 4: Original print signed and printed with wide margins by Pablo Picasso, contained in album A
Explanatory photo 5: Original print signed and printed with large margins by Max Ernst, contained in album A
Explanatory photo 6: Book "a poem in each book" printed in 120 copies, containing the 16 prints unsigned by the artists (signatures on the proof of printing of the book)
Explanatory photo 7: Print by Pablo Picasso on double page, unsigned contained in the book "a poem in each book"
Explanatory photo 8: Print by Max Ernst unsigned contained in the book "a poem in each book"

To discover in pictures the history of Album A and the rare prints it contains, click on the video below !

Biography of the artist : Valentine Hugo, born in Boulogne-sur-mer on March 16, 1887 is a French painter and illustrator. From 1907 to 1910, Valentine Gross studied at the Beaux-Arts in Paris. Her studies completed, she entered the circles of Marcel Proust, Paul Morand, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and many others. Around 1926, she met the surrealists and painted the portraits of several of them. She thus illustrates the works of René Char, René Crevel and Paul Eluard, with whom she will have an affair. She participated in the Salon des Sur Indépendants, in Paris in 1933, and in the exhibition "Fantastic art, Dada, Surrealism" at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1936. A year later, morally affected by the suicide of a friend, she ends up leaving the group of surrealists and turns away from surrealism.​

History of the book and the album : We advise you to read our blog "THE ALBUM OF LOUIS BRODER: A LEGENDARY PORTFOLIO".

About Paul ELUARD : We advise you to read our blog "PAUL ELUARD: THE CHOSEN ONE OF THE ART".

A few lines from the poem "For a better pride":
Give this man of forgiveness a wound
deeper than loneliness
Put out his eyes that he used to ignore you
His eyes more dangerous than quicksand
Delivers his sons to the beasts
And his crazy dreams
Let them digest them.

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