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THE UNKNOWN MASTERPIECE.
(San Francisco: Pacific Editions, 1993). 465 x 325 mm. (18 1/4 x 12 3/4"). 29 pp., [1] leaf (colophon). Text volume and portfolio of plates, housed together in a folder. No. 21 OF 35 COPIES, SIGNED by the publisher and the artist (and five proof copies).
Publisher's black morocco-backed mauve boards by Priscilla Spitzler of Booklab, black lettering to upper cover. Housed with the plates (in a black paper wrapper) in a tri-fold portfolio of mauve boards, black lettering on upper cover and flat spine, pastedowns of flaps with facsimile manuscript in black on mauve board, silk ties at fore edge (the paper wrapper a very expertly executed replacement, retaining the original title label). WITH SIX DOUBLE-PAGE ETCHINGS BY LARRY THOMAS PRINTED IN COLORS and with a leaf of text attached. A fragment of each engraving reproduced by photolithography on translucent sheets and bound into the text. Apart from the repaired wrapper, in mint condition.
This is a strikingly designed artist's book that pairs richly imaginative illustrations by artist Larry Thomas with Balzac's famous story of an artist who is driven to abstraction by beauty. Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850) first published "The Unknown Masterpiece" under the French title "Le Chef-d'oeuvre Inconnu" in 1831. The story, which is said to have been a significant influence on Cézanne and Picasso, follows fictional 17th century artist Frenhofer, who has been working on his masterpiece for many years, but is unable to finish because he cannot find a suitable model. When he finally reveals his painting, it has become a complete abstraction, a "chaos of color, half-tints and vague shadows that made up a dim, formless fog" out of which only a perfect foot is recognizable. American artist Larry Thomas (1943-2023), who for many years served as academic dean of the San Francisco Art Institute, has interpreted the text with etchings composed of broad swaths of gray and sanguine swirling together in diaphanous layers, from which graceful body parts emerge. The narrative is tied closer to the art by the clever design of the book, which features lithographs on translucent paper through which the muted text is read. This construction is the work of artist, designer, and publisher Charles Hobson (b. 1943), who has produced artist's books through his imprint, Pacific Editions, since 1986. His books are held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Library of Congress, among others, and he was the focus of a solo exhibition at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco in 2019. The present work appears to have been quickly and fully sold soon after publication: we can find no auction record of its sale, and no copies appear to be currently offered on line. (ST21230)
Price: $7,500.00