LORELLE (Lucien). — The Aesthetics of the Nude Around the Wo - Lot 159

LORELLE (Lucien). — The Aesthetics of the Nude Around the World. Paris, Publications Photo-Cinéma Paul Montel, [circa 1950–1960]. Large in-4 format, red publisher’s cardboard binding, with a color-illustrated photographic dust jacket; numerous photographic and artistic reproductions in black-and-white and color, including several full-page images. 169 color illustrations and inserts. A major study devoted to the aesthetics of the nude throughout the history of art and photography, compiled and annotated by Lucien Lorelle, a French photographer and a leading figure in postwar advertising and artistic photography. The book compares representations of the body in painting, printmaking, and, above all, modern photography. Lorelle brings together historical works—notably an engraving by Godefroy after Monnet for *Les Liaisons dangereuses*, as well as works by Correggio and Maillol—and a wide selection of contemporary photographs from various countries. Several photographs by Lucien Lorelle himself are reproduced, notably *Le Boucher amoureux*, a humorous composition presented at the exhibition of the famous Groupe des XV. Also reproduced are works by French and foreign photographers, including Paul Koruna, as well as numerous representatives of postwar nude photography. The book’s value lies precisely in this effort to establish nude photography as an art form in its own right; Lorelle asserts in his introduction that it should not be viewed as “trivial entertainment,” but rather as the expression of a new art form. A fine documentary work on the history of nude photography in the mid-20th century, also of interest for the history of French photography and the aesthetic explorations of the Groupe des XV. Good interior condition. Hardcover in good condition. The original dust jacket is present but quite worn: scuffing, small tears, and missing sections at the top and bottom and along the edges, particularly at the top; some marks and superficial wear. These flaws are clearly visible in the photographs.