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the front cover of a book with a picture of a bird on itan old book with a picture of a man on ita black and white drawing of a park with treesa piece of brown paper with a green spot on it
La Souveraine

190 - Johanna MELENDEZ (20th century), Portfolio comprising “Eight…
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Estimate €30 - €50
Sale commission
Description
Johanna MELENDEZ (20th century), Portfolio comprising “Eight woodcuts by Johanna Melendez – Preface by Louis Piérard, art critic” – approx. 44.5 x 33 cm (wear to the portfolio, yellowing of the paper) COMMENT: “A French artist, Johanna Melendez, for whom Brittany was often a source of the most delightful inspiration, has temporarily swapped her paintbrush for a chisel and her canvas for pear wood. She has come to settle in Belgium, a country where the art of woodcut engraving is enjoying a magnificent revival. Masereel, Cantré, Joris Minne, Van Straeten, Lallemand, de Vaucleroy, Baugniet, Suzanne Cocq and Brocas: to name but a few, this is a brilliant cohort that can claim isolated precursors such as the poet Max Elskamp, Georges Minne and Doudelet, illustrators of Maeterlinck, and De Praetere, who adorned the first Flemish books by Stijn Streuvels, the baker-storyteller from Ingoyghem, with beautiful images. By publishing this first album, Mrs Melendez has earned her place within the Belgian School of Wood Engraving, which can now grant her full membership. We shall love her old Ostend sea dog, her elderly woman wearing the Bigoudin headdress, her churches and her Breton calvaries which, like the faces she portrays, appeal to us through the vigour and simplicity of their execution.”, Louis Piérard
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About the sale MEMENTO AMORI
Auction location
Auction time 07/11/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits:
The Sovereign
See original version (French)
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