SURREALISME EXPOSITION DE TABLEAUX, ... + HANDWRITTEN LETTER

SIGNED WITH A NOTE AND WITH AN ADDITIONAL HANDWRITTEN LETTER FROM THE BELGIUM SURREALIST YVES BATTISTINI

Magritte, Rene and others
SURREALISME EXPOSITION DE TABLEAUX, DESSINS, COLLAGES, OBJETS, PHOTOS ET TEXTES
Bruxelles:Galerie des Editions La Boetie, 1945
19 x 15cm,  20pp. Original coloured pictorial wrappers with a reproduction of Magritte's La Viol. The scarce post-war exhibition catalogue for a retrospective of French surrealism which was organised by Rene  Magritte with 14 b/w reproductions of works and a selection of short excepts by writings of Breton, Nouge, Magritte and Scutenaire. The works reproduced include rarely seen items by Magritte's brother Paul and Marien, Ernst, Herold, Sanders, Malet, Arp, Bury, Simon, Magritte, Dumouchel and Goetz. A poem by Marien is also there and 167 items displayed noted by name. There are two aphorisms by Nouge on the inside and back wrappers and one from Scutenaire and a quote by Rene Char which shares a page with a homage to his colleague by the Belgium Surrealist Yves Battistini. This copy has a hand written 'surrealist' note by Battisini at the top of his page dedicated to Pierre Nadille and initialled "Y.B." and dated 1946. At the end of his homage the artist has signed his text in blue ink forn a second time. Moreover he has priced his single work noted within as being for sale ("Compagnie de l'ecoliere") as being at 2,000 Belgium francs in pencil on the appropriate page.
INSERTED INTO the catalogue is a promotional leaflet (4pp, 14 x 10cm) for "Une nouvelle initiative culturelle du seminaire des arts" where a Professor Ijowescu is announced as giving three sessions of a seminar called "La Practique Sexuelle"!
ALSO LAID IN is a 1pp letter from Battistini to an unknown person referring to the exhibition and the enclosed leaflet. The exhibition was the first to take place after Liberation and became a "succes a scandal" when reactionary journalists took the chance to attack it as being ridiculous. One exhibit in the show that was particularly singled out for attack was a book of catechism floating in a bowl of stew. A rare item with unique provenance and association. Near fine.

445 uk pounds