KUPKA (Karel) — BRETON (André) - Lot 184

Lot 184
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KUPKA (Karel) — BRETON (André) - Lot 184
KUPKA (Karel) — BRETON (André) Art in Its Raw State: Paintings and Sculptures of the Aboriginal People of Australia. With a text by André Breton and a preface by Alfred Bühler. Lausanne, La Guilde du Livre, 1962. In-8, 195 pp., abundant photographic and documentary illustrations in black-and-white and color, numerous reproductions of bark paintings, sculptures, ritual objects, and rock art. Publisher’s binding with an illustrated dust jacket with flaps. French first edition, published for private distribution to members of the Guilde du Livre. The print run is stated as 10,000 numbered copies. A major study by Karel Kupka (1918–1993) devoted to the arts of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia, particularly the artistic traditions of Arnhem Land. An artist and ethnologist, Kupka conducted several field surveys in Australia and, notably, assembled collections of bark paintings intended for European collections. The book examines, in turn, rock art and bark paintings, sculpture, techniques and materials, as well as figurative, totemic, and symbolic representations, placing them within their ritual context. The rich iconography remains, even today, a particularly fascinating record of Aboriginal art from the early second half of the 20th century. This copy is particularly sought after due to André Breton’s contribution, which gives the book significance far beyond the purely ethnographic realm: his text establishes a direct link between the European reception of Aboriginal art and the Surrealist world. The bibliographic references clearly confirm the presence of Breton’s text and Alfred Bühler’s preface. Condition: interior in good condition and complete according to the photographs; dust jacket is quite heavily worn, with foxing and stains, scuffing, small losses, and tears at the top and bottom edges and corners, and traces of a former label on the back cover. These flaws significantly reduce the value of the copy.
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