After the liberation of France in 1944, Miro felt a new sense of hope. He visited the U.S., worked with Stanley William Hayter at Atelier 17 in New York, and, after returning to Paris in 1947, he joined into a collaboration with the poet Tristan Tzara, who had collected three volumes of his writings from various periods under the general title L'Antitête, and illustrated the third part, Le Désespéranto / The despairing one, with an astonishing set of etchings made from small shaped copper plates cut from a larger copper plate measuring 140x105mm (5-9/16x4-3/16 inches). The book was published in 1949 by Bordas in Paris in an edition of 200 exemplars, each of which was signed by author and the artists. The edition consisted of 8 copies on imperial japan paper containing the eight etchings, a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor, and one of the copperplates; 23 copies on Van Gelder Holland paper containing the eight etchings and a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor; and 169 copies on Auvergne Richard-de-Bas paper numbered from 32-200. None of the etchings were individually signed as part of the edition. So far as I have found, these are the only shaped etchings Miró ever made, and after looking at them, one can only wish he had made more.

For more information see Jacques Dupin, Miró Graveur I: 1928-1960 (Daniel Lelong Editeur, 1984), p. 70 and Patrick Cramer, Joan Miró: The Illustrated Books: Catalogue Raisonné (Geneva: Patrick Cramer, Publisher, 1989), p. 72. Both show only the color illustrations from the deluxe set as well as an additional set made from the plates after the cutout was printed separately with watercolor in the places left blank by the cutout. Cramer's explanation seems to be more complete than Dupin's, but in the following we give references to both works. We have a complete proof set of the eight unsigned etchings before hand-coloring via pochoir and four of the unsigned hand-colored etchings, all on Auvergne Richard-de-Bas paper; we also have one impression annotated "epreuve d'artiste" and signed in pencil by Miró; this one appears to be on a different paper. The text pages were printed on a sheet of hand-made paper measuring 275x221mm (10-13/16x8-11/16 inches) which was then folded twice so that each page measured measured c. 143x115mm. The first page of each of our groupings of eight pages was the etching, the verso was blank (for the edition, the sheet would have had to have been folded differently so that the pages would occur in the normal sequence; neither the etching nor its verso have page nubers). The following six pages contained text. Our set has not yet been cut on the top edges (which would normally be done only after binding). Each of the etchings, printed before the edition, have rich burr and are spectacularly good examples of Miró's skill as an etcher.

L'Antitete I (Dupin 53, Cramer 20). Original etching printed from a hand-shaped copperplate, 1949. The edition consisted of 8 copies on imperial japan paper containing the eight etchings, a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor, and one of the copperplates; 23 copies on Van Gelder Holland paper containing the eight etchings and a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor; and 169 copies on Auvergne Richard-de-Bas paper numbered from 32-200. Ours is a superb proof impression with rich burr on Auverne paper impression before the addition of the hand-coloring. Image size: 108x94mm (we use Cramer's dimensions). Price: SOLD.

L'Antitete II (Dupin 54, Cramer 20). Original etching printed from a hand-shaped copperplate, 1949. The edition consisted of 8 copies on imperial japan paper containing the eight etchings, a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor, and one of the copperplates; 23 copies on Van Gelder Holland paper containing the eight etchings and a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor; and 169 copies on Auvergne Richard-de-Bas paper numbered from 32-200. Ours is a superb proof impression with rich burr on Auverne paper impression before the addition of the hand-coloring. Image size: 108x94mm (we use Cramer's dimensions). Price: Please call or email for current pricing information.

L'Antitete III (Dupin 55, Cramer 20). Original etching printed from a hand-shaped copperplate, 1949. The edition consisted of 8 copies on imperial japan paper containing the eight etchings, a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor, and one of the copperplates; 23 copies on Van Gelder Holland paper containing the eight etchings and a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor; and 169 copies on Auvergne Richard-de-Bas paper numbered from 32-200. Ours is a superb proof impression with rich burr on Auverne paper impression before the addition of the hand-coloring. Image size: 108x94mm (we use Cramer's dimensions). Price: Please call or email for current pricing information.

L'Antitete IV (Dupin 56, Cramer 20). Original etching printed from a hand-shaped copperplate, 1949. The edition consisted of 8 copies on imperial japan paper containing the eight etchings, a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor, and one of the copperplates; 23 copies on Van Gelder Holland paper containing the eight etchings and a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor; and 169 copies on Auvergne Richard-de-Bas paper numbered from 32-200. Ours is a superb proof impression with rich burr on Auverne paper impression before the addition of the hand-coloring. Image size: 108x94mm (we use Cramer's dimensions). Price: Please call or email for current pricing information.

L'Antitete V (Dupin 57, Cramer 20). Original etching printed from a hand-shaped copperplate, 1949. The edition consisted of 8 copies on imperial japan paper containing the eight etchings, a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor, and one of the copperplates; 23 copies on Van Gelder Holland paper containing the eight etchings and a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor; and 169 copies on Auvergne Richard-de-Bas paper numbered from 32-200. Ours is a superb proof impression with rich burr on Auverne paper impression before the addition of the hand-coloring. Image size: 108x94mm (we use Cramer's dimensions). Price: Please call or email for current pricing information.

L'Antitete VI (Dupin 58, Cramer 20). Original etching printed from a hand-shaped copperplate, 1949. The edition consisted of 8 copies on imperial japan paper containing the eight etchings, a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor, and one of the copperplates; 23 copies on Van Gelder Holland paper containing the eight etchings and a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor; and 169 copies on Auvergne Richard-de-Bas paper numbered from 32-200. Ours is a superb proof impression with rich burr on Auverne paper impression before the addition of the hand-coloring. Image size: 108x94mm (we use Cramer's dimensions). Price: Please call or email for current pricing information.

L'Antitete VII (Dupin 59, Cramer 20). Original etching printed from a hand-shaped copperplate, 1949. The edition consisted of 8 copies on imperial japan paper containing the eight etchings, a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor, and one of the copperplates; 23 copies on Van Gelder Holland paper containing the eight etchings and a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor; and 169 copies on Auvergne Richard-de-Bas paper numbered from 32-200. Ours is a superb proof impression with rich burr on Auverne paper impression before the addition of the hand-coloring. Image size: 108x94mm (we use Cramer's dimensions). Price: Please call or email for current pricing information.

L'Antitete VIII (Dupin 60, Cramer 20). Original etching printed from a hand-shaped copperplate, 1949. The edition consisted of 8 copies on imperial japan paper containing the eight etchings, a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor, and one of the copperplates; 23 copies on Van Gelder Holland paper containing the eight etchings and a suite of etchings heightened with watercolor; and 169 copies on Auvergne Richard-de-Bas paper numbered from 32-200. Ours is a superb proof impression with rich burr on Auverne paper impression before the addition of the hand-coloring. Image size: 108x94mm (we use Cramer's dimensions). Price: SOLD.

L'Antitete (Dupin 55, Cramer 20). Original etching printed from a hand-shaped copperplate, 1949. 31 suites of the books (8 on imperial Japon paper and 23 on Van Gelder Holland paper) came with hand water-colored unsigned impressions; ours is one of the 23 on Van Gelder Holland paper. Image size: 108x94mm. Price: Please call or email for current pricing information.

L'Antitete (Dupin 56, Cramer 20). Original etching printed from a hand-shaped copperplate, 1949. 31 suites of the books (8 on imperial Japon paper and 23 on Van Gelder Holland paper) came with hand water-colored unsigned impressions; ours is one of the 23 on Van Gelder Holland paper. Image size: 108x94mm. Price: Please call or email for current pricing information.

L'Antitete (Dupin 57, Cramer 20). Original etching printed from a hand-shaped copperplate, 1949. 31 suites of the books (8 on imperial Japon paper and 23 on Van Gelder Holland paper) came with hand water-colored unsigned impressions; ours is one of the 23 on Van Gelder Holland paper. Image size: 108x94mm. Price: Please call or email for current pricing information.

L'Antitete (Dupin 58, Cramer 20). Original etching printed from a hand-shaped copperplate, 1949. 31 suites of the books (8 on imperial Japon paper and 23 on Van Gelder Holland paper) came with hand water-colored unsigned impressions; ours is one of the 23 on Van Gelder Holland paper. Image size: 108x94mm. Price: Please call or email for current pricing information.

L'Antitete (Dupin 59, Cramer 20). Original etching with hand-coloring printed from a hand-shaped copperplate, 1949. 31 suites of the books (8 on imperial Japon paper and 23 on Van Gelder Holland paper) came with hand water-colored unsigned impressions; ours is an artist's proof on hand-made laid paper without a watermark. Extremely rare. Provenance: sold in 1947 by Galerie Gerald Cramer, Geneva; repurchased from the oringinal buyer by Galerie Patrick Cramer, Geneva in 2001. Image size: 142x114mm. Price: Please call or email for current pricing information.

Spaightwood Galleries, Inc.

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