Théogonie

Paris, Maeght, (10 janvier) 1955.
1 vol. (450 x 540 mm). Decorated binding signed by Renée Haas (1963); cover illustrated with a color aquatint and carborundum engraving, varnished, well preserved; folder, slipcase.

Edition of 150 copies on Auvergne paper, signed by Georges Braque, illustrated with 20 original etchings by Georges Braque, including 16 hors-texte etchings executed in 1932 at the request of Ambroise Vollard, and 4 others in 1953: the five-color cover, varnished by the artist, the two-color frontispiece, the chapter heading and the cul-de-lampe.

We apologize for the imperfect translation generated by Deepl for the purposes of the show.

Ambroise Vollard and Georges Braque began work on this great book (in every sense of the word) in 1931, with 16 etchings in the Vollard studio, whose death the following year brought the printing and the project to a halt. Twenty years later, Aimé Maeght took over publication with Braque, who produced what has since been considered his finest illustrated book. The 150 copies printed on Auvergne took two years to complete. With the exception of the title page and the justification, the entire text is written in Greek. Each cover was varnished by Braque himself, in a magnificent and distinctive ochre color.

François Chapon describes the artist’s work as follows: “The rigor of the metal only accentuates the moving grace of the line. From the acid-bitten material, Braque draws the crossed or parallel cuts that situate this universal empire”. Roger Vieillard, in his work on the painter’s books, defined it as follows: “An astonishing invention of forms is revealed in etching. The etching line, supple yet rigorous, definitive without losing the lively virtues of improvisation, constructs a coherent space like a bas-relief, while the coloring of surfaces is no less present than in his paintings.”

Great binding by Renée Haas, who reserved her talents for a few lucky collectors, explaining the rarity of her bindings on the market. It was the dealer Alexandre Loewy who entrusted her with her first commissions, in the early 1960s: illustrated books, among the most important of which were those by Picasso, Braque, Miro and Matisse (including at least four copies of Jazz).