Peintures: sept poèmes et seize illustrations

Ryerson and Burnham Libraries Special Collections

Paris: G. L. M., 1939

Henri Michaux (French, born Belgium, 1899-1984)

Within this small volume of poems and visceral illustrations, Henri Michaux pulls the reader into his melancholic exploration of language and being. On the page titled Têtes, or, Heads, a short stanza precedes the poem:

“When I start spreading paint on the canvas, a monstrous head usually appears.”

This limited publication run also includes a small gouache painting by Michaux of two disembodied heads. Their lack of defined features and void-like eyes visually manifest the desolation that Michaux describes in the poems.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Ryerson and Burnham Libraries Special Collections

Artist: Henri Michaux
Title: Peintures: sept poèmes et seize illustrations
Place: Paris (Object made in:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1939
Medium: Book printed on Normandy vellum with one gouache drawing on cream laid paper
Edition: 15/30
Inscriptions: Drawing bears the initials HM
Dimensions: H.: 17 cm (6 3/4 in.)
Credit Line: Mary Reynolds Collection, Ryerson & Burnham Libraries
Reference Number: 2020.42

The artist (1899-1984) to Mary Reynolds (1891–1950), Paris; by descent to her brother, Frank Brookes Hubachek (1894–1986), Chicago, and Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968), Paris, 1950; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1951–1955.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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