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Valentin HugoValentin Hugo, Untitled, from Alternation, 19461946
1946
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About the Item
This exquisite etching by Valentine Hugo (1887–1968), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the album Alternance (Alternation), originates from the 1946 edition published by Le Gerbier, Paris, and printed by atelier Quesneville, Paris, March 2, 1946. The work embodies Hugo's mastery of spectral linework, surreal visual poetry, and refined symbolic elegance, distilling the dreamlike atmospheres and psychological nuance that define her contribution to twentieth-century art.
Executed as an etching on velin de Rives paper, this work measures 12.88 x 9.88 inches (32.7 x 25.1 cm). Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. The edition exemplifies the refined craftsmanship of atelier Quesneville, Paris.
Artwork Details:
Artist: Valentine Hugo (1887–1968)
Title: Sans titre (Untitled), from the album Alternance (Alternation)
Medium: Etching on velin de Rives paper
Dimensions: 12.88 x 9.88 inches (32.7 x 25.1 cm)
Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued
Date: 1946
Publisher: Le Gerbier, Paris
Printer: atelier Quesneville, Paris
Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium
Provenance: From the album Alternance (Alternation), published by Le Gerbier, Paris; printed by atelier Quesneville, Paris, March 2, 1946
Notes:
Excerpted from the folio (translated from French), Printing was finished on March 2, 1946 on the presses of atelier Quesneville for thirteen etchings; on the presses of Lacouriere for the etchings by Henri Matisse and Dignimont; the etching of J.G. Daragnes was engraved by himself; the typography, which is composed of Garamond was printed on the presses of the Master Printer, G. Girard. This collection of sixteen original etchings, alternating with sixteen unpublished writings, CCC examples have been drawn, including XXXVIII on Monival and hand numbered from I to XXXVIII; and, CCLXII on Rives BFK, numbered from XXXIX to CCC. XL examples have been drawn for hors commerce on Lana a la forme have been numbered form of I to XL.
About the Publication:
Alternance (Alternation), published in 1946 by Le Gerbier, stands as a significant postwar livre d'artiste uniting sixteen original etchings with sixteen unpublished literary texts. Produced with exceptional attention to etching technique, paper selection, and typographic refinement, the album reflects the collaborative vitality of mid-century French printmaking. Printed across several fine papers including Monival, Rives BFK, and Lana a la forme, the edition embodies the craft traditions of atelier Quesneville, Lacouriere, and the presses of G. Girard, preserving a moment of rich artistic exchange in the years immediately following World War II.
About the Artist:
Valentine Hugo (1887–1968) was a French painter, illustrator, designer, and writer whose visionary synthesis of Surrealism, Symbolism, and refined academic draftsmanship positioned her as one of the most original and influential women in the early twentieth-century avant-garde, working within the same revolutionary artistic circle that shaped Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray; trained at the Academie Julian and initially celebrated for her exquisite portraiture, she transitioned from Belle Epoque aesthetics to the dream-driven world of Surrealism after forming a close relationship with Andre Breton, becoming a central participant in the movement's experiments with automatism, cadavre exquis, and psychologically charged visual poetry. Her ink drawings, paintings, watercolors, and prints marked by elongated silhouettes, spectral atmospheres, and meticulous linework reflect the influence of Symbolists like Odilon Redon and Gustave Moreau as well as Surrealist contemporaries Max Ernst, Yves Tanguy, Leonora Carrington, Dorothea Tanning, and Wolfgang Paalen; she also contributed significantly to performance and stage design for the Ballets Russes and the Paris Opera, extending her surreal visual language into theatrical environments. A favored portraitist of poets, particularly for her haunting depictions of Arthur Rimbaud, Hugo has influenced later generations of feminist, figurative, and neo-surrealist artists including Cindy Sherman, Kiki Smith, Marlene Dumas, Tracey Emin, Elizabeth Peyton, and others who continue to draw from her exploration of identity, symbolism, and the subconscious. Her work remains highly sought after by collectors and institutions for its rarity, historical significance, and unmistakable aesthetic, and her current auction record was set at Bonhams New Bond Street in 2022 when her work Portrait dArthur Rimbaud sold for 1,366,056 USD, reaffirming her enduring cultural and market relevance.
Valentine Hugo Sans titre Alternance 1946, Hugo etching, Hugo velin de Rives, Hugo collectible print.
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