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an old piece of paper with writing on it sitting on top of a tabletwo pieces of paper with handwriting on them sitting on top of a table
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166 - Henri MICHAUX. Mescaline-inspired writing.
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Estimate €2,500 - €3,000
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Description
Henri MICHAUX. Mescaline-inspired writing. No place or date [1955]. 1 page, folio size, in pencil, numbered “92”. Includes: An autograph signed letter addressed to René Bertelé. No place or date [1955]. 1 page, octavo size. Text written under the influence of mescaline, intended for the collection *Misérable Miracle* and from the archives of René Bertelé: with Michaux’s accompanying letter. Henri Michaux sent him the manuscript, which was previously stapled to the letter. ‘Here is the rest. You now have everything. Pages 2 to 19. We could, if necessary, omit one or two. I’m enclosing a page of drawings so that you may – after consulting a printer – decide on the format. Plus a handwritten page. Warmest regards, H.M. Phew! Never in my life will I start a study all over again.” A rare manuscript in the ‘mescaline style’, written whilst under the influence of the drug that Michaux experimented with from the 1950s onwards, in an attempt to explore the transformations in his perception and consciousness. This page, numbered 92 at the top, is sometimes incorrectly described as a ‘mescaline drawing’: ‘it is in fact truly writing, however strong its tendency to veer towards drawing may be’, observes Raymond Bellour. “Strictly speaking, there are no known manuscripts or typescripts of the ‘drug’ books, from *Misérable Miracle* to *Les Grandes Épreuves de l’esprit*. […] The second set is held in the Bertelé archives. This time, it consists of two vertical pages, numbered 86 and 92. All these pages, like those in the Michaux archives, are written in pencil” (Michaux, Œuvres complètes, II, Pléiade, pp. 1282–1283). A very slight tear in the paper at one edge and a staple mark. There is also a staple mark on the letter.
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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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