Le corps perdu 17

Title: Le Corps Perdu 17

Medium: Original aquatint, 13th June 1949, on Montval paper watermarked with “Corps Perdu”, an unsigned and unnumbered edition. This is half a sheet the other folded half having text.
Edition: There was a total edition of 219 copies made.
4 copies on Japan nacre paper with a suite on china
3 copies on Imperial Japan with a suite on china
212 copies on Montval Wove with the Corps Perdu watermark (our example)

References:
George Bloch “Tome 11, Picasso Catalogue de l’oeuvre grave et lithographie 1904 - 1967) (Volume 1) 641 Patrick Cramer : “Pablo Picasso, The illustrated books, Catalogue Raisonee number 56 (Pages 59/60)

Size: Paper size 283 x 391 mms

Printed by: Roger Lacourier, Paris, France

Note : (Depicts face - like a leaf) This work was a plate in the book “Corps Perdu” by Aime Cesaire. The written text is on the second folded half of the sheer (Pages 31 & 32). This is a surrealist work made by Picasso which alludes to works by the Cuban artist Willfredo Lam. Picasso knew this artist very well and had made a joint show with him at Galerie Pierre in 1939. The author of the book was Airme Cesaire who was a black poet whose works were often written about his racial origins and his quest for identity. There were 2o engravings with burin in the series most of which show plants, insects or photographic images of copulating couples or faces in the forms of leaves, animals or crescent moons. Andre Breton, “The father of Surrealism” went to the West Indies in 1941 accompanied by Wilfredo Lam and whilst there they got to know the work of the poet Cesaire. Picasso claimed never to have been a surrealist but obviously there are strong influences in this series.