Paul Eluard - with an etching by Pablo Picasso

LES YEUX FERTILES. AVEC UN PORTRAIT ET QUATRE ILLUSTRATIONS PAR PABLO PICASSO.

Edited by: PARIS, G.L.M., 1936. IN-12, BROCHÉ, CHEMISE DEMI-MAROQUIN, ÉTUI.

Original printed wrappers (wrappers are a bit darkened; light discolourations on the endpapers. First edition. Very good(+).

Edition: Number 313 of 1240 copies on Alfa Teint paper (total edition of 1500). N° de réf. du vendeur 160156

Printed by: Les Presses GLM, Paris, for the text & reproductions

Etching Size: 120 x 190 mms

Roger Lacourier for the etching

Reference: Patrick Cramer “Picasso: The Illustrated books” Number 27

Bloch: 289

Note: in 1936 Paul Eluard, the surrealist poet and friend of Picasso , went to Spain to give lectures relative to retrospectives of the artists works being held in Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao. It was at this time that Picasso gave the poet his portrait drawing which is illustrated in this book. On May 20th Picasso gave Eluard a plate on which he had depicted two of Eluard’s poems and a surrealist drawing. The etching shows a radiant woman with Minotaure’s horns holding a reflecting mirror. too the left is a frightening mask from which the mirror has plucked the eye. . Below this is the surrealistic figure of a woman stretched out on a bed. The book is dedicated to Nusch Eluard, the artists wife, who, some say, was Picasso’s mistress. The plate is dated 3.6.1936