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143
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Henri MICHAUX. Untitled [self-portrait?].
See original version (French)
143
-
Henri MICHAUX. Untitled [self-portrait?].
See original version (French)
Estimate €3,000 - €4,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Henri MICHAUX. Untitled [self-portrait?]. Undated [1944]. Original frottage (approx. 6 x 7 cm) on a sheet of chamois paper (26 x 14), framed.
A fine original frottage depicting a figure with tentacles.
It was reproduced in the 1969 edition of the volume devoted to Henri Michaux in the ‘Poètes d’aujourd’hui’ collection by René Bertelé, on page 13. (The first edition was published in 1946.)
Autograph inscription signed at the top:
To René Bertelé With my thanks and best regards, this other sign of Who I was H Michaux
The date ‘1962’, written by the recipient at the bottom, is the date of dispatch. Several elements suggest that the drawing should be regarded as a self-portrait. Indeed, note the reference to ‘this other sign of who I was’, the tentacles suggesting a being in perpetual motion, the profile of the skull…
The drawing was featured in the ‘Face à Face’ exhibition at the Bibliotheca Wittockiana in Brussels in 2016 (with a reproduction on page 97 of the catalogue) and at the Wallonia-Brussels Centre in Paris in 2017. Two vertical crease marks.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale
Henri Michaux, the Sven Pitsey collection
Auction location
Auction time
10/29/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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