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BOOKPLATES THE WORLD OF EX-LIBRIS |
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A historical retrospective 3 MODERN TIMES |
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3h 1935-1980: THE VISUAL TOWER OF BABEL part II |
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3h/10. Mauritz Cornelius Escher (NL, 1898-1972)  A. M. E.
VAN DISHOECK, X2, 80 x 60, c.1950.
The famous Dutch artist Escher made several ex-libris, but they seem to lack the fantastic imagination which he showed in the rest of his work. They are, however, avidly sought by collectors. This print was earlier in the Skullerud collection. |
3h/11. Tranquillo Marangoni (I, 1912-1992) IVAN MATTEO
Lombardo , 2X2/2, 93 x 69, 1946. GM 6968.
Few artists surpassed Marangoni in the use of wood engraving, when he was at his best. This ex-libris won the I. M. Lombardo competition in 1947. |
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3h/12. Josef Vachal (CZ, 1884-1969) ING. F. M. KLICMAN,
?4X2/8, 146 x 69, 1944. GM 11885.
Perhaps Vachal, a true Czech graphic perfectionnist, is the artist who brought wood engraving to its most complex coloured expression. Many of his ex-libris use three or four plates, with several colours on each plate. |
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3h/13. Ernest Huber (F,*1910) PAUL GIRAUD, X2, 70 x 43,
1946.
Viz. GMN p. 237.
The French graphic artist Huber played a major role in keeping interest in ex-libris alive during his time. He often used wood engraving to make bookplates, and this one is particularly pleasing. |
3h/14. Hubert Woyty-Wimmer (A, 1901-1972)
DR. RICHARD DONIN, X2, 63 x 70, 1946.
Viz. Austrian Yearbook
1949-1951.
A fine wood engraving by an Austrian artist who followed the perfectionnist tradition of Cossmann. The interest of wood engraved ex-libris of the post-1900 period is that they are nearly all conceived as bookplates for use in books. This in no way means that they are of less artistic value than ex-libris made for collectors to exchange. |
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3h/15. Alberto Giacometti (CH, 1901-1966) EDMOND
BOMSEL, C3, 101 x 70, c.1950.
Viz GMN p. 245.
The great ‘dissident’ surrealist sculptor Giacometti made only a single ex-libris, of which this is one of the very rare proofs. The inscription shows how difficult it is for an artist who has no practice to mirror-engrave lettering. Its childish quality, however, in no way diminishes the beauty of the image. |
3h/16. Jean Cocteau (F, 1889-1963) PIERRE EDMOND LéVY,
P1, 98 x 63, 1960.
Viz GMN p. 240.
The author and playwright Cocteau was also a talented draughtsman and designer. He made five bookplates, and the one shown here, as the others, show his concept of synthetic intensity of a line in the construction of a plastic image. |
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3h/17. Vadim Antonovitch Frolov (ROS, *1926)
I. V. BABUSHKINA, 2X2/2, 78 x 48, 1964.
The Soviet artist Frolov used two wood-engraved blocks to produce this typical social-realist image of its time. The Russian tra-dition of wood engraving is a well-established one. |
3h/18. Fernando Botero (COL, *1932) DIANA
NEIRA-OSPINA, P1, 77 x 60, 1979.
Fat people, fat birds... the unmistakable style of the internationally famous Colombian artist Botero is present even in this ex-libris, the only one he has designed to date. |
End of 3h
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