FR EN
1 / 3
an open book on a white surface with a picture of a birda book with a picture of a group of people on itan open book with a drawing of a palm tree on it
Premium Leducq Maison de Ventes aux enchères

155 - Henri MICHAUX. *Meidosems*. Paris, Éditions du Point du Jour…
See original version (French)

Estimate €4,000 - €5,000
Sale commission
Description
Henri MICHAUX. *Meidosems*. Paris, Éditions du Point du Jour, 1948. Small quarto, bottle-green morocco, title running lengthwise on a smooth spine, aniseed-green suede endpapers and linings, original cover preserved, untrimmed, black head, slipcase (Miguet). First edition. Limited edition of 297 copies. An important illustrated book featuring 12 original full-page lithographs (one spread) by Henri Michaux. The cover is also illustrated with a lithograph printed in green. In the publisher’s note, it is emphasised that “to illustrate [the book], Henri Michaux produced twelve lithographs directly from the stone for the very first time”. These were the only lithographs ever produced by Michaux himself. “A writer who usually accompanied his publications with his own drawings, Michaux has enjoyed equal renown as an artist. In this book, written shortly after the accidental death of his wife, his first lithographs convey the eerie world of a man who channelled his creative impulses through smoking peyote” (Riva Castleman, A Century of Artists’ Books, p. 151). One of 20 copies printed on Arches pure-fibre paper (no. XVI), signed by the publisher René Bertelé, accompanied by a set of three-colour lithographs. It bears an autograph dedication signed beneath the colophon to Gabrielle Friedrich and her husband: To Gaby and Fred Neumann / yet another book by the old grumbler / HMichaux During the war, Gabrielle Friedrich, née Neumann, took the reins of Éditions du Sagittaire after having served, since 1923, as Léon Pierre Quint’s right-hand woman. In 1950, she became Jean Dubuffet’s private secretary. In the 1920s, Henri Michaux had been madly in love with her. A quarter of a century later, the poet sent her “yet another book by the old melancholic”… (See nos. 116, 117 and 121 above). A fine copy, complete with the subscription form. (Mason and Cherix, *Henri Michaux, Prints 1948–1984*, nos. 1–13. *Treasures of the Bibliothèque nationale de France*, 2000, no. 92: entry by M. F. Quignard.- Coron, *50 Illustrated Books since 1947*, no. 5. - Peyré, *Painting and Poetry: Dialogue through the Book*, no. 54 and pp. 142–143: “This book is a marvel in every respect. The harmony between text and image finds its perfect expression here […]. *Meidosems* is the quintessential masterpiece of a man driven by a passion for publishing and, equally, by his dual identity – as poet and painter – within the world of books.”)
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
You may also like