Les Yeux fertiles [The Fertile Eyes]

Item Details

Paris, G.L.M. (Guy Lévis Mano), 1936, Original printed wrappers

First Edition, Limited Issue, Very Good

THE ARTISTIC FRIENDSHIP THAT SHAPED MODERNISM
Surrealist collaboration at the height of the movement, pairing Éluard’s lyric intensity with Picasso illustrations.

A seminal collaboration of the Surrealist movement, pairing the lyrical intensity of Paul Éluard with the graphic genius of Pablo Picasso. Produced during a period of profound creative and political synergy between the two artists—just months before the inception of Guernica—this volume is a hallmark of Guy Lévis Mano’s aesthetic of restrained, modernist typography. The work features a portrait and four full-page illustrations by Picasso, masterfully integrated into the text.

KEY FEATURES

• Visuals: Portrait of Éluard and four full-page illustrations by Pablo Picasso.
• Limitation: Copy No. 512 of 1240 numbered copies on papier Alfa teinté (total edition of 1500).
• Imprint: Printed on the presses of G.L.M., 6, rue Huyghens, Paris; completed 15 October 1936.
• Press: Typography and design by Guy Lévis Mano, the premier printer for the Surrealist avant-garde.
• Binding: Original printed wrappers; octavo (4.75 x 7.375 inches).
• Provenance: Mature Surrealist period; documented collaboration between Éluard and Picasso.

CONDITION: Very Good -- An exceptional copy. The bindings are tight and square, showing only minimal shelf handling wear. Internally, the text block is clean with even age-toning consistent with the tinted Alfa paper stock. Notably, the original glassine wrapper is present and has been preserved separately to prevent the common acidic transfer or 'ghosting' to the wrappers.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE --
Les Yeux fertiles is more than a poetry collection; it is a document of a friendship that defined the 20th-century Parisian avant-garde. By 1936, Éluard and Picasso were inextricably linked in their opposition to the rising tide of Fascism. The 'Fertile Eyes' of the title refer to the transformative power of the Surrealist gaze. This G.L.M. edition is highly prized by collectors for its 'book-as-object' quality, where the white space of the page is as vital as the ink of Picasso’s drawings.

SUBJECTS: Surrealism, Modernist Poetry, Artistic Collaboration, Pablo Picasso, French Avant-Garde, Livre d’Artiste, Limited Editions, Fine Press.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: Cramer 27; Bloch 289; Baer 608; G.L.M. BN n°114.

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