Louis Marcoussis

"Le Pacte".

1930

Eaux-fortes Pour Alcools de Guillame Apollinaire: Nuit Rhenane," 1934. Original etching signed in pencil and inscribed `a Mola bien amicalement Marcoussis /New York le 26 Mai 1935...

I . Rice Pereira Abstraction Pastel. Signed. 9 1/8 x 5 7/8" I.Rice Pereira was an American abstract artist, poet, and philosopher who played a significant rol...

Louis Marcoussis (1883-1941), Un Reve, etching, 1930, signed in pencil lower right and inscribed “2nd etat 1/2” lower left. Plate 1 of the portfolio Aurelia. Reference: Milet 55II, second state (of 4), before the edition (of 153 in the fourth state). In good condition, on a wove paper with full margins (a small area of discoloration below the border lower left, remains of prior glue right margin edge), 7 1/4 x 5 3/8, the sheet 15 5/8 x 9 3/8 inches, archival matting. A fine impression of a rare proof, before the edition. This is one of the two proofs of the second state. After this state the plate was reduced in a third state (from 183 to 174 mm), and then steel faced for the edition. Provenance: Libreria Prandi Reggio (blindstamp lower right corner) Jean Cassou and Pierre Courthion asked Marcoussis to illustrate Aurelia, a novel by Gerard de Merval. This was the first album of their collection “Le Blanc et Le Noir,” edition chez Fourcade. Marcoussis was familiar with this novel, in which imagination and reality intermingle. In it de Merval wrote: “La Reve est une seconde vie.” (The Dream is a parallel life.) Marcoussis wrote of the print: “Il ressemblait a l’Ange de la Melancholie d’Albrecht Durer.” (It recalls the angel in Durer’s Melancholia...

This exquisite lithograph and pochoir after Pablo Picasso (1881–1973), titled Guitariste (Guitarist), from the album, Picasso, Oeuvres 1920-1926, 1926, originates from the 1926 edition published and printed by Editions des Cahiers d'Art, Paris, under the direction of Christian Zervos, Editeur, Paris, December 10, 1926. Guitariste (Guitarist) captures Picasso’s evolving exploration of form, movement, and emotion during the mid-1920s—a pivotal period in which he redefined the relationship between classical representation and modern abstraction. With its bold contouring, stylized anatomy, and rhythmic color balance, the composition embodies the harmony between structural precision and sensual fluidity that characterized Picasso’s work in this era. Executed as a lithograph and pochoir on velin paper, this work measures 11 x 8.75 inches. Signed in the plate and unnumbered as issued. The edition exemplifies the refined craftsmanship of Editions des Cahiers d'Art and the technical excellence of Parisian printmaking in the interwar period. Artwork Details: Artist: After Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) Title: Guitariste (Guitarist), from the album, Picasso, Oeuvres 1920-1926, 1926 Medium: Lithograph and pochoir on velin paper Dimensions: 11 x 8.75 inches (27.94 x 22.23 cm) Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered as issued Date: 1926 Publisher: Editions des Cahiers d'Art, Paris, under the direction of Christian Zervos, Editeur, Paris Printer: Ducros & Colas, Paris Catalogue raisonne references: Cramer, Patrick. Pablo Picasso, The Illustrated Books: Catalogue Raisonne. Patrick Cramer, 1983, illustration 15; Bloch, Georges. Pablo Picasso: Catalogue of the Printed Graphic Work 1904–1967. Kornfeld & Klipstein, 1968, illustration 56 Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium Provenance: From the album, Picasso, Oeuvres 1920-1926, published and printed by Editions des Cahiers d'Art, Paris, under the direction of Christian Zervos, Editeur, Paris, 1926 Notes: Excerpted from the album (translated from French), This volume was completed to be printed by the Ducros & Colas printing house, 7, rue Croulebarbe in Paris, for the Editions des Cahiers d'Art, on December 10th MCMXXVI, DCC numbered examples, VI on Japon Imperial with an etching by Picasso, numbered from I to VI, L examples on paper by papier de Hollande, Van Gelder, with an etching by Picasso, numbered from VII to LVI, DCXL examples on velin, numbered from LVII to DCC, plus II examples intended for legal deposit. About the Publication: The album Picasso, Oeuvres 1920-1926 was issued in 1926 by Editions des Cahiers d'Art under the direction of Christian Zervos, one of the most influential editors, critics, and publishers of 20th-century modernism. Conceived as both a visual and intellectual tribute to Pablo Picasso’s mastery during a crucial transitional period, the volume presents a series of lithographs and pochoirs that chronicle his stylistic evolution from synthetic Cubism toward a renewed engagement with the human figure. Published in conjunction with the legendary Cahiers d'Art journal, the edition reflects Zervos’s vision of uniting scholarship, craftsmanship, and artistic authenticity in the modern book arts. Each composition was executed by the master printers Ducros & Colas and colored using the pochoir technique, faithfully translating the tonal subtleties and compositional balance of Picasso’s original drawings and gouaches. Completed on December 10, 1926, the edition comprised DCC examples—VI on Japon Imperial, L on Hollande Van Gelder, and DCXL on velin paper, plus II copies reserved for legal deposit—each numbered and printed to exacting standards. The volume stands as one of the earliest major Cahiers d'Art collaborations with Picasso, preceding the monumental Catalogue Raisonne des Oeuvres de Picasso that Zervos would later dedicate his life to producing. Today, Picasso, Oeuvres 1920-1926 remains a cornerstone of interwar art publishing, representing the confluence of avant-garde innovation, technical excellence, and intellectual rigor that defined the Parisian art world of the 1920s. About the Artist: Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, and ceramicist whose extraordinary vision revolutionized modern art and defined the visual language of the 20th century. A child prodigy from Malaga, Spain, Picasso's career spanned more than seven decades and encompassed an astonishing range of styles and innovations—from the melancholic Blue and romantic Rose periods to his pioneering invention of Cubism with Georges Braque, which shattered conventional notions of perspective and form. Influenced by the bold expressiveness of El Greco, the structure of Cezanne, and the vitality of African and Iberian sculpture, Picasso became a central figure of the Paris avant-garde, working in creative dialogue with contemporaries such as Henri Matisse, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray. His insatiable experimentation extended across painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture, forever expanding the boundaries of artistic expression. A master of reinvention, Picasso profoundly shaped generations of artists who followed—from Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, David Hockney, and Jean-Michel Basquiat to Jeff Koons and Banksy—cementing his status as a timeless cultural icon whose works remain among the most sought after worldwide. His landmark painting Les Femmes d'Alger (Version O) achieved a record-breaking sale of 179,365,000 USD at Christie's, New York, on May 11, 2015, affirming Picasso's enduring legacy as one of the most influential and valuable artists in history. Pablo Picasso Guitariste (Guitarist), Picasso Oeuvres 1920-1926, Picasso Zervos Cahiers d'Art, Picasso pochoir...