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Premium Maître Nicolas CONSTANTY

308 - Dorothea Tanning (1910-2012) - Birthday (Self-Portrait at Ag…
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Estimate €2,000 - €3,000
Sale commission
Description
Dorothea Tanning (1910-2012) - Birthday (Self-Portrait at Age 30). Rare proof lithograph on wove paper. The sheet: 80 x 58 cm; the plate: 63.5 x 39.5 cm. Exceptional condition before the signature in the plate, showing the printing marks and colour ranges in the margins. Condition A, a small trace of marginal tearing (1cm). This piece constitutes a working document of vital importance for understanding the art edition of Tanning's most famous work, originally produced as a painting in 1942. The image, which marks Tanning's dramatic entry into the Surrealist movement and his meeting with Max Ernst, unfolds an infinite perspective of open doors and a bare-chested self-portrait, blending dreaminess and introspection. Its status as a trial proof, uncut and devoid of the signature that would later be added, reveals the backstage work involved in lithographic creation at the Mourlot workshops. The presence of the cross marks and colour bars at the edge of the sheet attests to the fact that this was a technical control print, intended to validate the fidelity of the shades before the series was produced. For collectors, this print offers an 'archaeological' dimension and a greater rarity than the final print, capturing the work in its graphic purity before the commercial stage.
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About the sale Collection of an ink merchant, sale of posters n°17 and miscellaneous.
Auction location
Auction time 06/12/2026 at 1:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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