henri matisse (Más de 1.300 resultados)

Signed limited portfolio, number 61 of 150 sets of six plates, each of which are signed numbered and titled by Matisse. The plates comprise the artist's illustrations for the first illustrated edition of James Joyce's Ulysses, published by the Limited Editions Club the same year. Within weeks of the lifting of the US ban on Ulysses (6 December 1933), Limited Editions Club impresario George Macy approached Joyce about a special edition of the book, and by February 1934 he was en route to Paris to speak to Matisse about illustrations. Matisse accepted, and produced etchings for six of the eight episodes of Ulysses that have their counterparts in Homer's Odyssey: "The Calypso Episode"; "Aeolus, Cave of the Winds"; "The Cyclops" (described by Aragon as "the only true image of pain in Matisse's work"); "The Episode of Nausicaä"; "The Circle Episode"; and "Symbolic Landscape: Ithaca". While Joyce was delighted with the idea of Matisse illustrating his masterpiece, he was apprehensive that the artist might not have read Ulysses. Matisse had been given a copy of the French translation by Joyce scholar Stuart Gilbert, but his neighbour, the writer Dorothy Bussy, remarked that he was "in a complete fog about it" (Goodwin, p. 91). She lent him a copy of Gilbert's seminal James Joyce's Ulysses: A Study (1930). Regardless of whether Matisse read Ulysses in its entirety, Joyce approved of his decision to emphasize the classical source text: "I telephoned Joyce and spoke to him. We are in complete agreement regarding the character that I want to give to the illustration" (Matisse, letter to Simon Bussy, 11 August 1934). Aragon, p. 198; Henri Matisse, L'oeuvre gravé, 235-240; Slocum & Cahoon, 22. See William Goodwin, "'A Very Pretty Picture M. Matisse But You Must Not Call It Joyce': The Making of the Limited Editions Club Ulysses", Joyce Studies Annual Vol. 10, Summer 1999, pp. 85-103. Folio. Six soft ground etchings printed on Arches vellum paper, each separated by original tissue guards. Sheet sizes: 41.3 x 31.5 cm. In the brown cloth folding portfolio, as issued. Housed in a black quarter morocco solander box by the Chelsea Bindery. Spine of portfolio worn, joints tender. Contents clean.

First edition, first printing, number 8 of 150 copies signed by all the contributors, with each print numbered and signed by the respective artist and Robert Rey. This copy with an additional suite of 46 sheets with colour separations of Picasso's print housed in separate wrappers, lettered in black. The print titles included are: Braque, "Nature morte au huitres"; Brianchon, La neige a auteuil; Chagall, La sirène; Desnoyer, Liseuses au bord de mer; Dufy, Le casino de la jetée a Nice; Laurencin, Portrait de femme en rouge; Matisse, Nature morte au magnolia; Picasso, La cassarole Émaillée; Utrillo, Le jardin de Montmagny; Van Dongen, Tête de femme; Vlaminck, Les blés dans la perche; and Waroquier, Dolori sacrum. Folio. Unbound sheets printed on Van Gelder Zonen wove paper in white wrappers, front cover lettered in red. With glassine dust jacket, and the publisher's blue morocco clamshell box. All contained in the original card packing box. 12 colour woodcuts after each of the artists printed on Van Gelder Zonen wove paper with one edge untrimmed. Sheet sizes: 46.5 x 36 cm. Two short closed tears to front wrapper and glassine, light scattered foxing, otherwise a bright, unfaded set.

Limited edition, number 23 of 150 copies, numbered and signed by Matisse, folio (41.5 x 32 cm); complete set of six etchings on Arches vellum paper, each signed, numbered and captioned in pencil by Matisse; brown cloth folding portfolio. frieze23 Rare suite of etchings, limited to only 150 sets, each plate signed in pencil by Matisse. Number 23 from an edition of 150. The plates depict episodes in the edition of James Joyce's Ulysses published in 1935 by the Limited Editions Club and illustrated by Matisse. They comprise: 'The Calypso Episode'; 'Aeolus, Cave of the Winds'; 'The Cyclops'; 'The Episode of Nausicaä'; 'The Circle Episode'; and 'Symbolic Landscape: Ithaca.'.

First edition, first printing, number 29 of 150 copies signed by all the contributors, with each print numbered and signed by the respective artist and Robert Rey. This copy with an additional suite of 46 sheets with colour separations of Picasso's print housed in separate wrappers, lettered in black. The print titles included are: Braque, "Nature morte au huitres"; Brianchon, La neige a auteuil; Chagall, La sirène; Desnoyer, Liseuses au bord de mer; Dufy, Le casino de la jetée a Nice; Laurencin, Portrait de femme en rouge; Matisse, Nature morte au magnolia; Picasso, La cassarole Émaillée; Utrillo, Le jardin de Montmagny; Van Dongen, Tête de femme; Vlaminck, Les blés dans la perche; and Waroquier, Dolori sacrum. Folio. Unbound sheets printed on Van Gelder Zonen wove paper in white wrappers, titles to front cover in red. With glassine dust jacket. Housed in the publisher's blue morocco clamshell box, titles to front cover and spine gilt. All contained in the original card packing box. 12 colour woodcuts after each of the artists printed on Van Gelder Zonen wove paper with one edge untrimmed. Sheet sizes: 46.5 x 36 cm. Closed tear to front wrapper and glassine, hinge of clamshell box split, minor foxing in places otherwise a bright unfaded set.

First illustrated edition of Joyceâ s landmark Ulysses, one of only 250 examples signed by James Joyce in pen and Henri Matisse in pencil, with 26 illustrations by him, one of the 20th-centuryâ s most desirable illustrated books, combining the work of two great modern artists. Large quarto, original gilt-stamped pictorial brown cloth, original slipcase. In fine condition with the rare original slipcase which is in good condition and original glassine jacket. With an introduction by Stuart Gilbert. An exceptional example, most rare in this condition and in the seldom seen glassine jacket. One of the most arresting collaborations in 20th-century literature. "It was a great idea to bring them together; celebrities of the same generation, of similar virtuosity" (Wheeler, 15). The 26 beautiful full-page illustrations by Matisse accompany the text of Joyce's Ulysses, including six soft-ground etchings with reproductions of the sketches on blue and yellow paper. "One of the very few American livres de peintres issued before World War II. According to George Macy [this work's designer], who undertook this only American publication of Matisse's illustrations, he asked the artist how many etchings the latter could provide for $5000. The artist chose to take six subjects from Homer's Odyssey. The preparatory drawings reproduced with the soft-ground etchings (Matisse's only use of this medium) record the evolution of the figures from vigorous sketches to closely knit compositions" (Artist and the Book 197).

Hardcover. Condición: Fine. First Edition. Copy #1365 of 1500 numbered copies, one of the 250 copies signed by both James Joyce and Henri Matisse. A fine copy in the original gilt-stamped brown cloth, entirely unfaded with tight hinges; in a solid and intact copy of publisher's slipcase (the book has a couple of faints spots or bruises to the deckles on foredge; the slipcase has light wear and a few marks). Illustrated with 6 original etchings and 20 photomechanical reproductions by Henri Matisse Housed in a sturdy custom brown cloth clamshell box with black leather spine stamped in gilt. One of the most storied illustrated books of the 20th century. Although the tale is often erroneously told that Matisse thought he had been hired to illustrated Homer (and did so), Alfred Barr wrote "Matisse remarked that he had observed how Joyce's Ulysses was divided into episodes based on Homer's Odyssey . Macy accepted the suggestion and Matisse went to work." (Matisse: His Art and His Public, 1951).

Edition of 200. Signed and numbered in pencil lower right by the artist. Duthuit 645 Lithograph on chine appliqué support on Arches vellum paper. Image size: 21.4 x 19.5 cm. Sheet size: 44.9 x 32 cm. Framed size: 59 x 49 cm. Excellent condition. Presented in an ornate gilt frame with conservation acrylic glazing.

Hardcover. Condición: Very Good. 1st Edition. Les Lettres Portugaises (DELUXE EDITION WITH EXTRASUITE). With an extra suite of 12 prof studies of the lithographs. Marianna Alcaforado. Paris: Teriade, 1946. Signed by Matisse. Illustrate with 15 lithographs of women portraits in full-page, 55 decorative lithographs in violet of which two on the cover wraps, and 5 in full page, and 35 lettrines lithographs in violet, all by Matisse and printed by Mourlot. One of the 80 copies of the deluxe edition from a total edition of 270 numbered copies, and one additional suite of 12 proof studies of the lithographs, signed by Matisse in colophon. In artistic binding by J.Anthoine Legrain, in brown and green morocco with floral motif, brown suede liners, half morocco chemise and matching slipcase. Matisse's first collaboration with Teriade. In very good condition. Ref: Duthuit 15. The Artist and the Book 199. PICTURES ON REQUEST. Signed by Illustrator(s).

4to. 1 p., 8vo 2 1/2 pp., 50 : 200 mm 1p. One ALS and one typed letter with signature plus one sketch to Jean Leymarie of the Musée National d Art Moderne. [ ] ami, J ai votre lettre à l instant et je vous ai tout de suite envoyé un télégramme vous indiquant le ton du cadre gris plus foncé que le mur de façon à rendre la toile planté sur le mur comme une fresque. Permettez moi de vous dire que le cadre n est pas assez épais [ ] il faudrait donc augmenter sa feuillure en ajoutant [ ] comme je vous l indique sur votre croquis [ ]"Matisse is dicussing the colour of the gray frame which he wants to see in a darker tone than the wall so as to make the wall look like a fresco. He suggests to increase the frame as he has indicated on the sketch.In a joint letter (typed) from October 1953 Matisse writes: [ ] Tout d'abord je tiens à vous dire que je suis très touché par votre désir si constent de joindre à la collection de votre Musèe une sculpture de moi et je vous prie de m'excuser de répondre à vos lettres avec un tel retard. Voici ce qu'il en est des pièces qui vous intéressent. La Serpentine est épuisée. Les grands bas-relièfs n'existent pas actuellement en bronze car des complications matérielles ne permettent pas pur le moment leur exécution. Vous ne pouvez donc que choisir entre les 4 premiers états de la Tête de Jeannette, car, là encore, our le moment il ne m'est pas possible de vous fournir le dernieèr état, le cinquième. Je pense que le prix de 200.000 Fr pour une de ces tetes pourra vous convenir. [ ]" Matisse expresses that he feels touched by the request to include a sculpture of his in the collection of the Museum. The large bas-reliefs of La Serpentine do not exist in bronze due to complications with the material. Leymarie can therefore only choose between the first 4 states of the Tête de Jeannette, because, there again, for the moment it is not possible for Matisse to provide him the last state, the fifth. I think the price of 200,000 Fr for one of these heads may suit you."La Serpentine, it s original is from 1909, is an elongated figure of a woman with grotesque proportions yet is both dignified and provocative. The nonchalant pose of resting one elbow on a post and crossing the feet at the ankles has been related by Alfred Barr to the Greek tradition. Hilton Kramer has said of this work: "The parts are each given an unexpected weight the torso as slender as any to be found in a later Giacometti, the head conceived like a flower too large for its stem, the calves almost too absurdly thick for the lean thighs yet the whole is resolved in a harmony that belies the distortion of the parts." With the heads of Jeannette, five of its kind, Matisse shows the process of abstraction in these heads. Matisse also demonstrates his extraordinary mastery of organic form and its expressive possibilities. [The sculpture of Matisse, MoMA, 1972].

Hardcover. Condición: Very Good. Limited Edition. Paris, Éditions du Chêne, 1946. This beautiful portfolio is a collaboration by French poet Pierre Reverdy and the renown Henri Matisse. It comprises of poems by Pierre Reverdy and fourteen original lithographs in sanguine by Matisse. It is one of only 200 copies on vélin de Lana, from a total edition of 250 numbered copies, all signed by Riverdy and Matisse. It is complete with a full illustrated cover, folder and slipcase. Ref: Duthuit Books 11. Signed by Illustrator(s).

4to. 2 pages. To his friend, the French writer Henry de Montherlant. Matisse regrets not being able to receive him in the evening, as he has had a "spasm crisis which tired me much": "[.] mes journées sont souvent longues et le soir je dois renoncer à des visites qui prépareraient une nuit d'insomnie, d'autant plus certaine que visiteur serait plus intéressant. Aujourd'hui j'ai supporté un examen radiographique qui m'a brisé. En somme, je me trouve surtout en lutte avec les médecins [.] Ma fille que j'ai fait appeler m'aide heureusement dans cette lutte difficile et délicate. Au fond je me sens très bien, et aucune urgence ne me paraît indiquée. Comme je ne prends que des bouillies pour désenflammer l'intestin et des oranges (vitamines), j'ai forcé un peu trop sur les oranges, qui par leur aciditée m'ont dérangé l'intestin qui allait au mieux. Au lieu de reconnaître la cause vraie de ce petit accroc, les médecins y voient un motif de hâter l'intervention. Je ne les crois pas malhonnêtes mais simplement un peu trop excités à l'action. Le chirurgien est un père coupe toujours. Le médecin traitant est fils d'italiens et menacé par le nouveau régime a l'air de ne pas vouloir contrarier ce chirurgien établi solidement à Nice. Le 2e médecin est juif tremble dans ses culottes et se range de l'avis du plus fort. - Il a dit à ma fille, moi j'ouvrirais pour voir ce qu'il y a dedans. Au fond tout ça est rigolo. Il suffit de savoir se défendre - et pour ça je suis assez fort quand je ne fais pas de tableau - ce qui est le cas [.]".

Condición: Good. Lithograph on laid Chine paper; signed in pencil, numbered 3/5. From Dix Danseuses by Edition de la Galerie d'Art Contemporaire, 1927. Includes a Certificate of Authenticity from Original Fine Art Ltd, dated March 1984. Good condition. Light fold mark on right side.Fribourg, 442, Pully, 138; Planche, 96.

Oblong 12mo. On reverse of a photograph of a painting; with stamp of Studio Yves Hervochon. Certifiying that the painting pictured on the reverse is not in his own hand: "Je certifie que ce tableau n'est pas de moi. Selon mon droit j'en ai gratté la signature". - Accompanied by the forgery in question (an oil painting on canvas).

First edition thus. The iconic modernist book, signed by Matisse - one of the great editions of one of the great books. Joyce's masterpiece, in the deluxe edition published after the 1933 landmark ruling in the case of United States v. One Book Called Ulysses. Eleven years after the book's initial publication, a US court affirmed that in the matter of obscenity, One Book Called Ulysses had soundly defeated the United States, and immediately thereafter, Limited Editions Club founder George Macy began to plan what would be a monumental achievement: a landmark among Matisse's livres d'artiste, reproducing his preparatory drawings alongside the final soft-ground etchings; the only illustrated ULYSSES with an introduction that Joyce allowed to be published; and the most accurate text of the novel published in the US until 1961. In the early days of the project, believing that the artist "[knew] the French translation very well" and only wanted for an idea of the Irish context, Joyce proposed to send him an illustrated Dublin weekly of 1904 for visual reference. But Matisse had no interest in the specificities of Ireland, and, though his drawings were organized around the Odyssey itself, barely more interest in the specificities of Greece (the two struggling women of his "Calypso," Hillary Spurling suggests, were "an image that had more to do with the artist's own home life that summer than with either Joyce or Homer.") Seeing the sample drawings, George Macy began to plea for some connection, any connection between image and text: "While we understand, and admire, the idea by which the plates are to be illustrative of Homer's Odyssey, it is essential that the incidents of the Odyssey which are illustrated must also make reference to incidents in Joyce's book." This was no way to speak to a great artist. Matisse responded by matching his drawings to individual chapters without explanation, saying only that they represented "reactions of my mind before Joyce's work" and, by the way, "Mr. James Joyce, who knows about the way I am illustrating his book, quite agrees with me on it." This would perhaps have been news to Mr. James Joyce, whose best-known comment on the finished product was: "If they had been signed L.J. [Lucia Joyce] instead of H.M. people would have had a different tale to tell. I am only too painfully aware that Lucia has no future but that does not prevent me from seeing the difference between what is beautiful and shapely and what is ugly and shapeless. As usual I am in a minority of one." Setting aside Joyce's opinion, Matisse's work may be viewed as conceptually linked to his own: not illustrations in any conventional sense, but a parallel artistic project, a second great modernist manipulation of the ODYSSEY. Another plausible interpretation of Matisse's drawings understands them as a response not to the text but to "the critical apparatus that developed around the novel during the 1930s" (Brown), and specifically to Stuart Gilbert's perceptive introduction. As for contemporary reception, members of the Limited Editions Club expressed one of three reactions: A vile book, dressed up with great art; a great book, ruined by "crackpot drawings"; or a magnificent work, the expression of "perfect rapport among author, illustrator and designer." The third judgment has held up quite well. 11.75'' x 9''. Original brown Bancroft buckram with gilt globe stamped to front board. In original slipcase. Designed by George Macy. Introduction by Stuart Gilbert. Illustrated with six etchings and 20 tipped-in drawings on blue and yellow paper. 363, [1] pages. Edition of 1500 numbered copies signed by Matisse. This copy no. 1264. Slipcase with light expert restoration at edges; some rubbing and soiling overall. Book just starting at top of rear hinge, but firm. Else clean and bright. Both housed in a custom quarter leather over black cloth archival clamshell box with gilt title spine. Very good plus in a very good slipcase.

A rare glimpse into among the more important relationships between art collector and artist: Matisse and Barnes, whose collection is at the Barnes Museum in Philadelphia?Never before offered for sale; acquired from the recipient's heirsAlbert C. Barnes was an American chemist, businessman, art collector, writer, educator, and the founder of the Barnes Foundation. Barnes made a fortune as the developer of the antiseptic Argyrol, and subsequently amassed an impressive collection of more than 2,000 pieces of rare art. His extensive holdings include many European and American impressionist masterpieces and early modern art, including works by Cezanne, Matisse, Van Gogh, and Picasso. His collection of 181 Renoir paintings continues to be the largest number of the artist?s paintings gathered in one location.Barnes started the Barnes Foundation in 1922 as an educational institution, with strict limits to its use and very specific rules about its operations. Barnes was known for his ambition and his artistic sensibility, as well as his eccentricity.At the Foundation, he insisted that the art be displayed in a unique way, exhibiting the works by their formal and expressive similarities rather than using the traditional method of grouping items by the date they were created, the place of origin, the type of item, or its medium.In 1931, Dr. Barnes began work on "The Art of Henri-Matisse" whom he regarded as ?the foremost painter of the day.? Barnes first met Matisse in 1930 when the artist asked to visit the Foundation during a trip to the United States. During his visit, Dr. Barnes proposed that Matisse create a mural for the Main Gallery, which later would become The Dance mural.Henry Hart first met Dr. Barnes in the early 1920s while Hart was employed as a journalist for the Philadelphia Record. The two developed a close friendship, and maintained a personal relationship until Dr. Barnes's unexpected death. Henry Hart transitioned from journalism and became an editor at Scribner, where he published "The Art of Henri-Matisse." The book was released on January 13, 1933.In early January 1933, Hart sent Barnes an advanced copy of the book, which he shared with Matisse. At the time Barnes was in Nice with Matisse. Both Matisse and Barnes replied to Hart.Autograph note of Matisse and Barnes on the verso of a scenic Nice postcard, addressed to Hart at his Scribner's Office in New York City:"Nice, January 1933. Thanks for the advance copy of our book. It's fine, very attractive, Matisse is delighted with its appearance, especially the illustrations - but he will add his own comments, herewith. A.C.B."Matisse adds, "I congratulate you on your book. I find it well composed and the prints are excellent. Sincerely, H. Matisse?.Dr. Barnes, believed that art had the power to improve minds and transform lives. Over the course of his lifetime, along with "The Art of Henri-Matisse", he wrote several books about his theories of art aesthetics.Albert C Barnes books inscribed to his close friend, Henry Hart, who later published his only biography, "Dr. Barnes of Merion, an Appreciation":"The Art of Henri Matisse?: To Henry Hart, who, with kindness and patience, delivered this baby in the Scribner Maternity. Albert Barnes."Art and Education?: To Henry Hart, with mixed feelings, all good. Albert Barnes."The French Primitives and Their Forms?: To Henry Hart, in friendship and esteem. From Albert C Barnes April 2, 1931."The Art of Renoir?: To Henry Hart, with best wishes. Albert Barnes, Merion March 9, 1935."A unique grouping that pulls back the curtains and shows us Dr. Barnes as collector, author, educator, and friend, and his relationships with the greatest artists of his day.

Soft cover. Condición: Very Good. 1st Edition. Le poème pulvérisé by René Char, Paris, Fontaine, 1947. One of 50 copies on Johannot, signed by Char, with one linogravure signed in pencil by Matisse. Very Good. Réf : Cramer Matisse Les Livres Illustrés n°21. More pictures on request. Signed by Author(s).

Soft cover. Condición: Fine. FIRST. Limited. This fabulous book, one of the most spontaneous and joyous of all Matisse's printed works, is illustrated with over 100 finely lithographed color pages, including 54 original works, done with colored pencils and crayons. The frontispiece portrait of the medieval author is signed and numbered in the plate. Printed entirely on heavy Velin d'Arches by Mourlot. Folio. Loose pages, as issued, in a lithographed glassine-covered folder. Paris: Teriade Editeur, (1950). First edition. A clean near fine copy, with the original slipcase number 34 of 1200 copies printed and signed in pencil by Matisse on the justification page." VERY FINE. Signed by Author(s).

1st Edition. 1st Edition. Signed by Author. Matisse, Henri. [1869-1954]. 1 page A.L.S. n.p., 11 03 09. 8vo. Elegantly wood Framed & Glazed with carefully coordinated quad matting. A curious relatively early letter about housekeeping at his villa & studio - a private matter - boldly signed. A very handsome presentation. Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour & his fluid, brilliant & original draughtsmanship. As a printmaker, & sculptor, but principally as a painter, Matisse is one of the best-known artists of the 20th century. Although he was initially labeled as a Fauve (wild beast), by the 1920s, he was increasingly hailed as an upholder of the classical tradition in French painting.[1] His mastery of the expressive language of colour & drawing, displayed in a body of work spanning over a half-century, won him recognition as a leading figure in modern art.

8vo. 1½ pp. To the writer Henry de Montherlant (1895-1972), hoping that his trip was an interesting one and that he returns bearing good news, regretting to no longer having works by Roger Martin du Gard (1881-1958) in his possession, returning a copy of Hermann Rauschning's "Hitler m'a dit" (1939), and recommending two tailors in Nice, Messrs. Hettema and Gentilomme: "J'espère que votre voyage a été intéresant par conséquent profitable et que vous n'en rapportez pas de nouvelles trop désespérantes. Je n'ai plus 'les Martin du Gard', regrets. Je vous fait remettre le 'Hitler m'a dit'. Je me suis renseigné au sujet du l'adresse d'une bon taileur que vous me demandez car je ne me suis jamais fait habiller à Nice. Voici ce qu'on m'a indiqué comme excellent - Hettema [.] le complet était en ce moment de 3.500 fr - mais tout est bon coupe étoffe et tout et tout [.] Un autre tailleur de bonne coupe m'a été indiqué par mon ancien croupier [.] c'est le tailleur qui fait les habits des croupiers qui devaient être impeccables [.] Il s'appelle Gentilomme [.] Je n'en connais pas les prix - je les suppose plus modestes. Moi j'irai chez Hettema - mais le Genilomme est peut être suffisant [.]".

8vo. 2 pp. To the writer Henry de Montherlant (1895-1972), glad to hear that he is interested in the proofs of his illustrations for the lyrical work "Pasiphaé: Chant de Minos (Les Crétois)", having just discovered that they are intended for a separate album that will not be published for another year, therefore planning to provide him with different proofs; also relieved to hear that his foot has healed and hoping to see him in January: "Les épreuves que je vous ai envoyées vous intéressent, j'en suis flatté. J'apprends que, comme elles doivent faire partie d'un futur album de mes études sur P. & le Ch. de M., même dans le tirage imparfait de l'Éclaireur de Nice elles ne pourront exister quand l'album en question paraîtra. Ça ne sera pas avant un an. Alors je vous les remplacerai. Vous les trouverez dans l'ensemble que je vous prierai d'accepter. Content d'apprendre que votre pied est guéri, vous allez pouvoir déployer vos ailes. Vous verai-je en Janvier? [.]". - Montherlant's "Pasiphaé", retelling the Greek myth of the Minotaur, was illustrated with 148 linocuts by Matisse and was published by Martin Fabiani in Paris in 1944.

paperback. Condición: near fine. Matisse, Henri Ilustrador. Limited. This fabulous book, one of the most spontaneous and joyous of all Matisse's printed works, is illustrated with over 100 finely lithographed color pages, including 54 original works, done with colored pencils and crayons. The frontispiece portrait of the medieval author is signed and numbered in the plate. Printed entirely on heavy Velin d'Arches by Mourlot. Folio. Loose pages, as issued, in a lithographed glassine-covered folder. Paris: Teriade Editeur, (1950). First edition. A clean near fine copy, lacking the original slipcase. Despite the rather large limitation, copies of this book are increasingly scarce. Number 194 of 1200 copies printed and signed in pencil by Matisse on the justification page."The poems of the fifteenth-century author were written out in the artist's hand and framed by his own borders, in the manner of an illuminated manuscript." -- The Artist & The Book, p. 202. "In no other of Matisse's books does one feel the same sense of the artist's pleasure in his work as he plays here in his subtle games with children's crayons." -- Alfred Barr in Matisse: His Art & His Public, p. 272-273, 560.

Couverture rigide. Condición: Très bon. Edition originale. In-4 (27,5 x 22 cm) de 109-[3] pp., 4 ff. (notice et achevé d imprimer). Maroquin janséniste corail, dos lisse, tête dorée, couvertures et dos conservés (rel. de l époque). Superbe édition illustrée de 105 lithographies originales par Henri Matisse. Tirage à 270 exemplaires seulement, tous sur vélin d Arches et signés par l'artiste. Celui-ci porte le numéro 173 et est signé à l'encre par Henri Matisse sous le justificatif de tirage. Impression Jourde et Allard pour le texte et Mourlot Frères pour les lithographies. Matisse n a pas caché son admiration pour ces cinq magnifiques lettres d amour publiées anonymement en 1669 et écrites par une religieuse portugaise tombée amoureuse d un officier français. Le désintéressement de ce dernier suite à son retour en France ne fit qu accroître l amour et les ardeurs de l intéressée qui se dévoilent et s accentuent au fur à mesure de l écriture des lettres, et qui devinrent par la suite le symbole d une poésie de la déception amoureuse renvoyant directement à la thématique gréco-romaine de l amour non partagé. Matisse travailla sur ce projet durant de longs mois, dessinant même pour l occasion un alphabet spécial et ornant l ouvrage des 15 admirables portraits à pleine page tirés en bistre (il choisit pour modèle Doucia Retinsky, fille d'un boutiquier de Nice), de 55 ornements tirés en violet dont 5 à plein page, et de 35 lettrines lithographiées en violet. Le succès de l édition fut immédiat et tous les exemplaires s écoulèrent avant la fin de l année de parution. Voir Duthuit, Henri Matisse. Catalogue raisonné des ouvrages illustrés, pp. 89-107 (n°15). Superbe exemplaire de ce livre rare et recherché, ici dans une sobre et impeccable reliure de maroquin strictement contemporaine, condition rare.

First edition, first printing. No. 33 of 35 copies on Velin teinte Malacca paper with the frontispiece signed in pencil by Matisse. Franz Thomassin who wrote under the pseudonym Franz Villier, was a neighbour of Matisse in Vence. Text in French. Dutuit 18 Octavo. Original white wrappers, titles to front cover and spine in black. Housed in a black cloth flat-back box by the Chelsea Bindery. Original lithograph frontispiece on China paper by Matisse. Sheet size: 19.4 x 14.3 cm. Excellent condition.

First illustrated edition of Joyceâ s landmark Ulysses, number 1134 of 1500 copies signed by Henri Matisse, with 26 illustrations by him, one of the 20th-centuryâ s most desirable illustrated books, combining the work of two great modern artists. Large quarto, original gilt-stamped pictorial brown cloth, original slipcase. In near fine condition with the rare original slipcase. With an introduction by Stuart Gilbert. An exceptional example. One of the most arresting collaborations in 20th-century literature. "It was a great idea to bring them together; celebrities of the same generation, of similar virtuosity" (Wheeler, 15). The 26 beautiful full-page illustrations by Matisse accompany the text of Joyce's Ulysses, including six soft-ground etchings with reproductions of the sketches on blue and yellow paper. "One of the very few American livres de peintres issued before World War II. According to George Macy [this work's designer], who undertook this only American publication of Matisse's illustrations, he asked the artist how many etchings the latter could provide for $5000. The artist chose to take six subjects from Homer's Odyssey. The preparatory drawings reproduced with the soft-ground etchings (Matisse's only use of this medium) record the evolution of the figures from vigorous sketches to closely knit compositions" (Artist and the Book 197).

Hardcover. Condición: Fine. Henri Matisse Ilustrador. 1st Edition. 36 cm. [17],95,[16] pp. including 96 monochrome plates, plus 24 color plates. Original color lithographic covers not present. In French. Brown morocco, red and tan morocco onlays, pictorially tooled in gilt, spine titled in gilt, turn-ins ruled in gilt, red suede doublures, all edges gilt. Binding signed in gilt by Catherine Stanescu. Housed in a clamshell case, quarter morocco and marbled paper over boards, gilt leather labels, tan suede doublures. Paper edges of case rubbed, joints and leather edges of case moderately scuffed and worn, else very good. Binding and contents of book fine. In 1930, Paris art dealer and publisher Ambroise Vollard commissioned Marc Chagall to produce a suite of etchings illustrating the Hebrew Bible. The project precipitated Chagall's two-month visit the following year to the Holy Land, where he and his family were guests of Meir Dizengoff, founder and mayor of Tel Aviv. Chagall biographer Jackie Wullschlager describes the object of Chagall's journey as "not external stimulus but an inner authorization from the land of his ancestors, to plunge into his work on the Bible illustrations" (p. 349). The trip was transformative: art historian Jacques Lassaigne wrote that Chagall told him that Palestine gave him "the most vivid impression he had ever received," and Chagall stated in an address first delivered at Mount Holyoke College in 1943, "in the East I found unexpectedly the Bible and a part of my very own being" (Harshav, p. 77). The result was two series of etchings and lithographs, the first published in 1956 and the present second series in 1960. Franz Meyer has described Chagall's Bible illustrations as having "the same religious force as the Bible itself" (p. 393) and their interplay with the Biblical text as an "astonishing variety of word and image, of visual representation and nonvisual suggestion" (p. 388).From 1931 to 1959 - during three of the most significant decades of modern Jewish history - Chagall worked on the illustrations, producing 65 etchings before Vollard's death in 1939 and a final 40 for the first series between 1952 and 1956. Tériade had taken over publication from Vollard and in 1956 issued two uncolored and one colored signed and numbered editions of the series. Tériade issued reproductions of the etchings together with 29 lithographs as Nos. 33/34 double issue of VERVE magazine. In 1958 and 1959, Chagall resumed the project to illustrate "themes generally not treated" in the earlier work. Tériade published the new series in 1960 as the 37/38 double number of VERVE, the magazine's final issues. This second series contains 96 monochrome etchings reproduced in heliogravure (photogravure) by Draeger Frères and 24 color lithographic plates and a color lithographic cover (not present here) printed by Mourlot Frères. An English-language American edition was published concurrently. The present copy of DESSINS was finely bound by master bookbinder Catherine Stanescu (1908-1998), gracefully incorporating illustrations and design elements of Chagall's work in gilt and morocco onlay. Stanescu studied French-style bookbinding in Switzerland after fleeing her native Romania during the Communist takeover. In New York, where she eventually settled, Stanescu founded a studio and developed a devoted following of students, private and institutional clients for book restoration, and collectors of her artistic bindings. Benjamin Harshav (ed.), MARC CHAGALL ON ART AND CULTURE (Stanford University Press, 2003).Franz Meyer, MARC CHAGALL : LIFE AND WORK (Harry N. Abrams, [1964]).Jackie Wullschlager, CHAGALL : A BIOGRAPHY (Knopf, 2008).Deborah M. Evetts, "Obituary: Catherine Stanescu," in GUILD OF BOOK WORKERS NEWSLETTER 122 (1999). Signed by Author(s).

12mo. 4 pp. on a bifolium. Complex and emotional letter to his wife Amélie Noellie Parayre, primarily describing a mental health crisis of Matisse's student and alleged lover Olga Markowa Meerson. In the first part of the letter, Matisse informs his wife that he had written to his patrons Gertrude and Leo Stein. He emphasizes that he wrote about painting at length but did not mention a potential visit of the siblings in Collioure, the southern French fishing village where Matisse spent the summer of 1911. Apparently, Amélie dreaded their visit and Matisse planned to suggest to the Steins the neighbouring village Argèles as an alternative domicile, but concludes: "Even if they find accommodation here - provided that they bring their housemaid - we cannot give the impression of pushing them away. You will probably see less sympathetic people here because Collioure is said to be invaded by painters" (transl.). - The second part of the letter forms an intimate account of Meerson's mental crisis, Matisse's conflict with his wife over the student, and his as well as his daughter Marguerite's growing desperation that is worth quoting in full: "I do not have anything really new to report except perhaps that it rained all day and that Olga already wanted to leave 3 times since your departure. The nerves recover less and less well, which is very difficult for us. For three days she has been sleeping here, having had hallucinations at her place. I strongly wish her to return to Paris and I hardly see the possibility of taking her to Italy because she could never work to make ends meet and take care of herself. Surely she needs to return to her family, she is really incapable of any effort. I am highly annoyed and enervated - she makes scenes for no reason. Her irritation, which was with Purrmann, has shifted to me, and I assure you that it is not at all amusing and there is nothing to say because she will not acknowledge it. Today she suffered a very strong crisis that destroyed Margot and me. I have been awake since one in the morning and am writing you after writing to Stein. It is now four o'clock. Finally after wanting to leave yesterday at 11 o'clock in the evening, very agitated, as if mad, she decided to stay, but will not see us again. She will make arrangements to stay with Madame Delfau [wife of the painter Louis Delfau] and remain there so as not to disturb us anymore. She has a day or two. You can wait to see her come back after these days but I do not recommend it at all because it will be unnecessary stress for you. We certainly made a mistake in not letting her leave a month ago. She has to return to her family, she admits it herself in her manic phases. To hold her back would be negligent. Besides, there are other things to do, I have not worked in four days. Since Huyot [the painter Albert Huyot] left we have been saddled with her, and it is enervating. The night before this I slept very poorly. This one is sleepless now - you need to choose her or me without even considering Marguerite, who is strongly affected [.]. The sea is certainly harmful to her, and she needs the care that her family has to provide her". - Matisse met the Russian Olga Meerson, a talented painter, at the "Académie Matisse" that he had founded in 1908 with the financial support of the Steins and other friends. The German artist Hans Purrmann, mentioned in the letter, was among the organizers of the short-lived academy. When Matisse stopped teaching in 1911, he continued to meet Meerson, who served him as a model, and they allegedly had an affair. The fact that Meerson in 1911 executed one of the few portraits of Matisse, always a reticent sitter, speaks of their intimacy. While it is often repeated that Matisse broke off contact because of his wife's jealousy, the letter tells a more complex story. We do not know details of the relationship of the two women but Matisse's dramatic demand to choose between him and her clearly points to a very emotional situation. Apparently, Amélie had planned a trip to Italy with Henri and Olga, which he opposed citing Olga's mental health. The relationship of the Matisses with Olga Markowa Meerson effectively ended only weeks after the letter was written. Olga moved back to Munich, where she married the German music critic and composer Heinz Pringsheim (Thomas Mann's brother-in-law) in 1912. In 1929 Olga Markowa Meerson took her own life in Berlin. In spite of her obvious talent, Meerson is today largely forgotten as an artist, which will hopefully change in the future. - Slightly creased.

4to. 2 pp. With autograph envelope. To Mary Hutchinson in London about François Campaux's short film "Henri Matisse" (1946). He has forwarded her list of potential viewers to Campaux, who travels to London the following day and will mail their invitations. Matisse will remain in Paris to finish work he began last summer, but plans to return to Vence in mid-December, where he hopes to welcome her at some point during the winter: "Mille mercis pour la peine que vous avez prise au sujet des invitations à la présentation de mon film. J'ai transmis vos listes à Mr Campaux l'auteur. Il part à Londres demain lundi et va faire, ou plutôt envoyer ses invitations. J'espère que les invités seront intéressés. Je suis encore ici, retenu par la terminaison des travaux que j'ai entrepris cet été. Je retourne à Vence le 15 décembre. J'espère que cet hiver vous viendrez peut-être à la Côte d'Azur et que vous voudrez bien venir à Vence me visiter [.]". - 2 telegrams (1947 and 1950) to the same, expressing his best wishes, are loosely enclosed, as is as another autograph envelope.

Hardcover. Condición: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Folio. Limited Edition. In original lithographed glassine wrappers.Three green fleur de lis illustrated on front cover, with poets name, and a larger fleur de lis on rear cover. This is copy number 1172 of 1200 signed by Matisse in pencil on colophon.100 colourful crayon and pencil lithographs on loose pages, printed on thick Velin d'Arches paper at the Mourlot workshop in Paris. Illustrated frontis of medieval poet Charles, Duke of Orleans [1394-1465], who, taken prisoner after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Many of his poems were written during his long captivity over a 25 year period. He wrote courtly and romantic poems set in ballad and rondeau forms. The poems are lithographed in Matisse own hand, with decorative borders with multiple colours. Wrappers yellowed, and stained along spine and joints of front cover. Rubbing to spine edges. Stain to inner hinge of rear pastedown endpaper and sporadic stains throughout interior, but otherwise in near fine and an excellent example of the livre de artiste. Matisse was encouraged to publish an artists book in conversation with friend and fellow artist, Andre Rouveyre. In their correspondance, Matisse included decorative transcriptions of Charles poems. Rouveyre, in turn, had encouraged Matisse to produce a livre de artist. "In a letter dated 3 February 1943, Rouveyre raised the idea of an artist's book comprising Charles's poems, but written solely in Matisse's hand." [Brown K. (2013) Influence as Appropriation of the Creative Gesture: Henri Matisse's Poèmes de Charles d'Orléans. In: Baldwin T., Fowler J., de Medeiros A. (eds) Questions of Influence in Modern French Literature. Palgrave Studies in Modern European Literature. Palgrave Macmillan, London]. The project was complete in 1950, and during the same year Matisse would receive the grande prize at the 25th Biennale International Art Exhibition in Venice.

Eminent French painter. Matisse ranks among the greatest artists of the 20th century. Scarce handwritten letter, entirely in Matisse's hand, 1 page, dated November 2, 1949, in French. At this time in his life Matisse said that all he could do was work, he dreaded the daily confrontation with form and color on the canvas and could not face it without the consoling human presence of the pretty young girls he paid to pose for him. "That's what keeps me there, surrounded by my fruit and flowers which I get to grips with little by little, almost without noticing . . . and then I wait for the thunderbolt that is bound to follow."The young women who posed for him all learned to live and work in the atmosphere of almost unbearable tension generated by Matisse's effort to express his emotions on canvas-an effort that drained all his strength. He felt the same tension as when asked to pose himself. Matisse writes: "Dear Friend, I am quite upset about having to write to you that I am too nervous to be able to pose. It is something that has always been painful for me. I have never been able to pose even for Marquet 50 years ago. Please believe, dear friend, in my regrets and in my best wishes. H. Matisse 2 nov 49 ". Matisse and Albert Marquet were among the foremost painters in the Fauvist movement. They met at and both attended the Ecole des Arts Decoratifs, one of the most prestigious French Universities of art and design. Matisse and Marquet were roommates for a time and they influenced each other's work. Wonderful associations between the two luminaries with interesting insight in Matisse's private nature and the great painter's own nervousness at being the subject and posing. In Excellent Condition.

Couverture souple. Condición: Très bon. Henri Matisse Ilustrador. Edition originale. Broché, dos carré, couverture souple d'éditeur à rabats beige imprimée en noir et rouge - 517 pp. L'un des 300 exemplaires sur vélin à la forme des Papeteries de Rives numérotés de l'édition originale ornés d'une lithographie originale portrait du professeur Leriche par Henri Matisse, tirée sur Chine, numérotés (No 293) et signée par l'artiste (Duthuit Claude, Henri Matisse. Catalogue raisonné des ouvrages illustrés, 1988, cat. No 27, pages 222 et 223). Trois légères traces de jaunissement sur la lithographie, sinon bel état. Non coupé. De toute rareté. Photos sur demande.