A Toute Épreuve by Paul Éluard and Joan Miró
À toute épreuve (roughly translated as “Ready for Anything”) is widely recognized as one of the finest and most ambitious artist’s books of the twentieth century. This masterpiece is a monumental, decade-long surrealist collaboration between the French poet Paul Éluard, the Spanish master Joan Miró, and the visionary Swiss publisher Gérald Cramer.
First conceived in 1947 and published in 1958, the book transforms Éluard’s deeply imaginative surrealist poetry into a polychromatic, three-dimensional physical entity. Rather than simply illustrating the text, Miró spent nearly eleven years meticulously carving over 230 woodblocks to ensure the abstract shapes, brilliant colors, and poetic lines merged seamlessly into a single sculptural object.
Product Features & Overview
- A Masterpiece of Surrealism: Experience a historic intersection of text and art. Miró’s iconic, amorphous shapes dance across the pages, giving vivid new life to Éluard’s verse.
- Meticulous Craftsmanship: Over 42,000 continuous print impressions were required to pull the original dazzling, pure colors from Miró’s intricately carved woodblocks.
- The Facsimile Editions: Modern editions beautifully replicate the stunning 1958 original copy, featuring the poems in their original French alongside Miró’s full-color compositions.
- Scholarly Commentary: Facsimile editions include a detailed companion introduction by art historian Anne Hyde Greet, tracking the intimate history of this unparalleled collaboration between artist, poet, and publisher.
Editions & Availability
Whether you are an art historian, a surrealist collector, or a lover of fine typography, À toute épreuve is an essential centerpiece for any collection.
[C5]
$ 100.00
