Beschreibung:

MIRÓ, Joan (1893-1974, artist), Jacques PRÉVERT (1900-1977) and Josep LLORENS ARTIGAS (1892-1980). Derrière le miroir , nos 87-88-89. Paris: [Imprimerie Union for] Éditions Pierre à Feu/A. Maeght, 1956. 2° (377 x 278mm). 2 double-page and 3 full-page colour-printed lithographic illustrations and one full-page lithographic illustration by and after Miró printed by Mourlot Frères, one double-page half-tone illustration after Sabine Weiss and 2 full-page half-tone illustrations after Ernst Scheidegger one illustration after Miró. (Light spotting and offsetting.) Loose as issued in the original wrappers, the outer covers a double-page colour-printed lithograph by and after Miró (light spotting). Provenance : Peter and Hélène Bellew (presentation inscriptions on inside upper wrapper 'à Peter et , Helène [ sic ] Bellew, , de tout coeur, , Miró', with a drawing by Miró below and further inscribed 'affectueusement , JLl. Artigas'). FIRST EDITION. PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED WITH A DRAWING BY MIRó AND FURTHER INSCRIBED BY ARTIGAS. Miró and Artigas had known each other since 1914, and in the years that followed Artigas developed a high reputation as a ceramicist, often working with artists such as Braque and Dufy. His principal collaborator, however, was Miró, with whom he created, inter alia , the ceramic murals for the UNESCO building in Paris (executed 1955-6, installed 1958), which won the Guggenheim Foundation first prize. The origin of the exhibition 'Terres de feu' is explained by Artigas in his article 'Route ensemble': in conversation in 1950 Miro stated that 'Il faut que nous reprenions la céramique' (p.[6]), and proposed that the two men work towards an exhibition that would demonstrate the essence of the ceramacist's art. Following a slow gestation, the project finally came to fruition in 1956, when the 232 pieces produced were exhibited by Maeght, and this issue of Derriére le miroir (nos 87-88-89 for June-July-August 1956) with texts by Artigas and lithographs by Miró was produced to accompany it. The present copy of Derrière le miroir was presented to Peter and Hélène Bellew, the authors of Pioneering Ballet in Australia (Sydney: 1946) and Ballet in Moscow Today (London: 1956) respectively. Peter Bellew was also the co-editor with Anton Schültz of the 'Unesco World Art' series of publications, which presumably would have led to an interest in the collaborative ceramic murals. Cramer Joan Miró The Illustrated Books 34; Joan Miró Lithographs 222-228; Musée d'art moderne de la Ville de Paris/Fondation Gulbenkian Miró l'oeuvre graphique 605.