Le Livre ouvert. 1938-1940 *. 1939-1941 **

A Second World War collection, Le Livre ouvert is striking for its freshness: Paul Éluard’s political conscience led him to resist barbarism with the weapons of hope and poetry, of warmth and love, the only forces capable of making the present bearable. The first two poems are dedicated to his wife Nusch and his daughter Cécile. In the midst of the Occupation, “lost in the ravaged day,” Éluard casts the warmth of his gaze upon the world to share, “fraternally,” his “reasons for dreaming,” for writing, for resisting.

The last years before the war had strengthened the friendship between Éluard and Picasso, and the couples formed with Dora Maar and Nusch. The poet and his muse met the artist at the end of 1935, through the Zervos couple. An unshakable friendship was born, marked by artistic collaborations, notably on illustrated books. La Barre d’appui was the first collection undertaken together, in the Zervos’ Cahiers d’Art. The two volumes of Le Livre ouvert, four and six years later, would continue this shared work: the second volume of Le Livre ouvert opens with a dedication to Pablo Picasso: “Par ton audace tu prolonges notre vie, tu nous lies chaque jour un peu plus à cet univers sans défaut où notre espoir ignore les mirages. C’est à toi Pablo Picasso, mon ami sublime, que je dédie ce livre.”

The provenance of the painter’s companion and muse makes this copy exceptional.

From the library of Hubert Heilbronn, with bookplate.