Paul Delvaux, Construction d'un Temple en Ruine, Plate No.8, Etching, 1972

Construction d’un temple – Plate n. 8 is a b/w original etching realized in 1972 (as written on plate on the lower right margin) by Paul Delvaux. from the collection “ Construction d’un temple en ruine à la déesse Vanadé ”, this sensual print came into being from the collaboration of four years between the French author and member of the Nouveau-Roman group Alain Robbe-Grillet (1922-2008), and the Belgian artist Paul Delvaux (1897-1994). First, Robbe-Grillet wrote a letter, to which Delvaux then replied with a wonderful engraving; Robbe-Grillet then responded with a second text. This is how the building blocks for this beautiful artist's book came together: it was built like a temple. The book was printed in an edition of 187 copies, of which only 40 contain the illustrations by Paul Delvaux. Our copy is unnumbered and printed on “Arches” ivory-colored paper with the Bateau Lavoir watermark (on the lower right corner), and the “Richard Bas ” watermark on the lower left margin. This wonderful artwork represents a woman lying on a sofa under the shadow of a tree, while two nude women near her are portrayed like ancient Greek statues: an enigmatic and magic composition, hard to interpret. The artist demonstrates his technical skills by using a vibrant black-ink and confident outlines. In excellent conditions: as good as new. Le Bateau Lavoir Published in 1975 by the Parisian " Le Bateau Lavoir ", the commission of this edition was came from Mira Jacob , a private collector of Symbolist and Surrealist paintings. She was the one who encoraged Paul Delvaux during their first meeting in 1965 to begin making lithographs. For this book, the Belgian artist produced many engravings, some of which are dry-points. Paul Delvaux (1897-1994) Popular for his artworks with female nudes depicted as cold marble statues in a dreamlike world, Delvaux’s works are sometimes referred to as theaters of courtesans. In this book, women are often represented in the foreground. Oblong Shape: This edition from Fequet and Baudrier is curious owing to its oblong shape. The text was hand-set by François Da Ros, who produced many editions for Fequet and Baudrier between 1964-1978. Da Ros was later appointed Master-Typographer. The engravings were printed on Piero Crommelynck ’s engraving press, one of Picasso’s favorite engravers. Bibliography : Bénézit 4-424. References: Z. Barthelman , Paul Delvaux: Odysse van een droom. Sint-Idesbald, Paul Delvaux Stichting, 2007; Collection Mira Jacob Galerie le Bateau-Lavoir. Paris, Sotheby’s, 2004; Virginie Devillers , Paul Delvaux: Le théatre des figures . Bruxelles, Editions de l’Université de Bruxelles, 1992; Hommage à Piero Crommelynck , in: Nouvelles de l’estampe , 178 (2001), p. 72-77; Christian Milat, Robbe-Grillet: Romancier alchimiste . Ottawa, David, 2001; Marcel Paquet, Paul Delvaux et l’essence de la peinture. Paris, Edition de la Différence, 1982.