Hans Bellmer

handcoloured gelatin silver print
13.7 by 14cm.
Conceived in 1936 and printed in an edition of 142 in 1949.

François-André Petit, Paris
Acquired from the above

London, Arts Council of Great Britain, Dada & Surrealism Reviewed, 1978, no. 12N 5

Hans Bellmer & Paul Éluard, Les Jeux de la Poupée, Paris, 1949
Sarane Alexandrian & Jack Altman, Hans Bellmer, Paris, 1971, illustration of another print p. 61
Obliques, Une nouvelle conception de la revue, Nyons, 1979, illustration of another print p. 99
Hans Bellmer, Photographe (exhibition catalogue), Musée national d'art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, 1983, illustrated p. 86; illustration of another print p. 43
Peter Webb & Robert Short, Hans Bellmer, London, Melbourne & New York, 1985, illustration of another print fig. 58 & in color pl. II (titled The Second Doll)
Pierre Dourthe, Bellmer, Le Principe de perversion, Paris, 1999, no. 81, illustration in color of another print p. 66
Surrealism: Desire Unbound (exhibition catalogue), Tate Gallery, London, 2001, illustration of another print fig. 203
Sue Taylor, Hans Bellmer: The Anatomy of Anxiety, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2000, illustrations of another print pl. 4.16 & p. 81
Thérèse Lichtenstein, Behind Closed Doors: The Art of Hans Bellmer, Berkeley, 2001, illustration of another print pl. 11
Peter Webb & Robert Short, Death, Desire and the Doll, New York, 2006, no. 4, illustrations of another print on the cover and n.p.
Hans Bellmer (exhibition catalogue), Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München, Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich & Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, 2006, no. 222, illustration in color of another print p. 94

This early hand-colored print is in generally excellent condition. Bellmer's expertly applied tinting remains vibrant and saturated, with colors ranging from an arresting magenta, to orange, to pale blue and pink, to shades of bright green. It is on light-weight semi-glossy paper. There is stray green coloration in the thin margins. In raking light, faint silvering is visible in the darkest areas of the print. On the reverse of the print, 'Rose' is written in an unidentified hand in pencil and there are a few tiny brown-colored deposits of indeterminate nature.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.