KESSELS (Willy) — Brussels 1898–1974 - Lot 138

KESSELS (Willy) — Brussels 1898–1974 Paris, Galerie Alain Paviot - Octant, 1990. Catalog 2. Oblong quarto, approx. 23 × 26 cm, black soft covers, silver title label pasted on the front cover, small photograph pasted on the back cover, white spiral binding, unpaginated; texts by Françoise Leplus and Alain Paviot, full-page black-and-white photographs. I have verified the bibliography: this is indeed the catalog for the Willy Kessels exhibition held at the Galerie Alain Paviot in 1990. The Urban.brussels library describes it as a 23-cm exhibition catalog by Françoise Leplus and Alain Paviot. A specialized photographic bibliography provides one particularly interesting piece of information: the print run was 1,000 copies. A copy currently on the market is described as containing 5 pages of text and 27 full-page black-and-white photographs, bound in the same spiral-bound format, priced at €28. Another copy, advertised as a first edition and “near fine,” is listed for around €35 and described as containing 26 images—this slight discrepancy in the count likely stems from the method used to tally the illustrations. Willy Kessels (1898–1974) is best known for his documentary and social photography and for his work on *Misère au Borinage*. His body of work also includes industrial architecture, nudes, portraits, photograms, and formal experiments. Some of the photographs reproduced in this catalog are now bibliographic references: Lempertz, for example, specifically cites plate V of this catalog to document a silver print from the 1930s. This gives the catalog genuine documentary value for a photography collector, even though the catalog itself is not rare by the standards of a book by a major photographer. Good to very good condition. Black covers showing some scuffing and superficial signs of wear; label on the front cover well preserved; small photograph on the back cover present; spiral binding complete and apparently sturdy. Interior particularly fresh, with the plates in very fine condition.