BEYELER GALLERY — Pre-Columbian Sculpture from Mexico / Pre- - Lot 133

Lot 133
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70 - 120 EUR
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BEYELER GALLERY — Pre-Columbian Sculpture from Mexico / Pre- - Lot 133
BEYELER GALLERY — Pre-Columbian Sculpture from Mexico / Pre-Columbian Art of Mexico [BEYELER GALLERY]. Pre-Columbian Sculpture from Mexico. Pre-Columbian Art of Mexico. Basel, Beyeler Gallery, [1959–1960]. Large quarto, paperback; black photographic cover illustrated on both sides; abundant black-and-white photographic illustrations, full-page reproductions, and maps. Introductory text in German; trilingual catalog in German, French, and English. Preface by Jacques Soustelle. A rare catalog devoted to the pre-Columbian art of Mexico, published by the Beyeler Gallery in Basel at a time when Ernst Beyeler took a direct interest in non-European art and was himself building a significant collection of pre-Columbian works. The book focuses primarily on sculpture and ceramics from ancient Mexico, with particular attention to the cultures of western Mexico—Colima, Nayarit, and Jalisco—as well as Tarascan, Toltec, and Zapotec art. The objects are reproduced in a remarkable modernist layout, often set against a black background and photographed full-page. The introductory text specifically highlights the originality of these small funerary sculptures from western Mexico, which—unlike much of the monumental Maya or Aztec art—offer insight into more intimate aspects of society: musicians, dancers, warriors, ball players, couples, animals, and scenes from daily life. Jacques Soustelle, a specialist in pre-Columbian Mexico, contributed a preface to the publication, as the catalog explicitly states. A particularly interesting Beyeler catalog The publication is now bibliographically uncommon: it is listed as an exhibition catalog from the Beyeler Gallery in Basel, with unnumbered pages. Bibliographic entries differ slightly on the date—some list 1960—which explains why it is prudent to list [1959–1960] in a library catalog entry. But above all, this catalog remains of genuine importance for the provenance of the works. Sculptures featured in this exhibition later reappeared in major international auctions. Christie’s, for example, documents two seated Nayarit figures from the Ernst Beyeler collection, acquired in the 1950s and exhibited at the Beyeler Gallery in *Pre-Columbian Art of Mexico*, under lot numbers 26 and 120. Another pair of Nayarit figures is listed as having been exhibited in Basel at the same exhibition, under nos. 31 and 31a. This is an important point for a Blaizot entry: this catalog is therefore not merely a documentary publication on pre-Columbian art; it serves as a provenance reference for several pieces that passed through the Beyeler Gallery. A bibliographic entry from a Harvard collection lists 1960, while Christie’s dates the exhibition to 1959. A fine copy in its original photo-bound binding. The cover shows some rubbing, small scratches, and signs of wear, with slight wear on the headbands, corners, and edges. The front cover remains spectacular; the back cover also shows a few superficial marks. The interior is very fresh overall, with well-contrasted photographs. There are a few slight marginal handling marks, with no significant visible defects.
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