Les Conquerants (Untitled, Page 155)
1949. Colour aquatint, editioned 87/165 and annotated in pencil in lower margin, 27 x 17cm (image). The annotation “by André Masson ‘49” is by art dealer Richard King. This image is one of the 33 aquatints created to illustrate Les Conquerants (The Conquerors), a 271 page book about civil unrest in China by André Malraux, first published in Paris in 1928. Swiss publisher Skira, who wanted to produce publications in “the tradition of the ‘great illustrated books,’” commissioned Masson in 1947 to illustrate Andre Malraux’s novel. Prior to this commission Masson had recently returned from Atelier 17 in New York after studying printmaking techniques with Stanley Hayter (Brit., 1901-1988), who originally had his studio in Paris prior to WWII. Masson’s aquatints for Les Conquerants are considered to be technically complex, using gradations of only one colour along with black. The plates are larger than the format and therefore there are no platemarks. Ref: Saphire #272.
Item #CL175-104
Price (AUD): $770.00 other currencies