Hans Arp - Behind the Mirror No. 33, Paris 1950 with 3 wooden carvings

This issue of "Derrière le Miroir" No. 33 presents three original color woodcuts by the renowned artist Jean Arp. Of particular note is the large-format, yellow double-page woodcut "Palette de Nuages / Grande planche" measuring 380 x 560 mm. The booklet itself measures 380 x 280 mm and is in very good condition. Paris 1950 (2nd edition).

Jean Arp was a German-French painter, sculptor, and poet. As a co-founder of Dadaism and a prominent representative of Surrealism, he significantly influenced 20th-century art and literature. Arp was a member of the artist group Abstraction-Création and is internationally known for his poetic-abstract works.

"Derrière le Miroir" (DLM) was published by the Parisian publishers Maeght and appeared in a total of 201 editions from 1946 to 1982. This artist's edition is now an important document of postwar art. The editions feature original prints—lithographs, etchings, serigraphs, and woodcuts—by renowned artists such as Marc Chagall, Joan Miró, Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, and Hans Arp. The prints were mostly produced in the renowned print shop of Fernand Mourlot.
DLM's intention was to make original prints by important artists accessible to a broad audience. The works created specifically for each edition are listed in the artists' official catalogue raisonné, distinguishing them significantly from mere art prints. The early original editions, in particular, are now sought-after collector's items.
The editions were accompanied by unpublished texts by important authors and poets such as Samuel Beckett, Paul Éluard and Jean-Paul Sartre, which established a literary connection to the respective artist and his work.