Derriere le Miroir (DLM) No. 119, Poets & Painters

Important Note about Condition Description

Derrière le Miroir (DLM) was issued in paper wraps and the contents were inserted loose in the wraps. The issues are in the 27 to 60+ year old range and subject to condition issues. Unlike other dealers who only indicate “excellent condition” or “very good” without listing the faults, I provide a detailed description of every fault of note. Virtually every fault of note on the DLM’s relate to the cover wraps. I provide two ratings, one for the wraps and one for the contents. The highest rating is FINE which means there are no faults of note. If I rate a DLM something other than FINE, I will also list any flaws. Each DLM has been carefully examined to ensure that it is complete as issued. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions on condition issues. The photograph in this listing is the publisher’s stock photograph of the cover of the DLM being offered for sale and you should check the condition description for any flaws.

About Derrière le Miroir (Behind the Mirror)

Derrière le Miroir (DLM) was an art magazine published between 1946 and 1982 by the French publisher and gallery owner Aimé Maeght. There were a total of 253 editions in 200 volumes. The magazine, itself designed as an art object presented in a large (11” x 15”) format, is illustrated with original lithographs as well as a number of reproductions. Poets and writers like Aragon, Beckett, Char, Eluard, Prévert, Queneau, Reverdy, Sartre, contributed with unpublished texts. Most of the major artists of the second half of the twentieth century created lithographs for DLM: Léger, Miro, Calder, Tapies, Chillida, Braque, Matisse, Giacometti, and above all Chagall. . To quote François Capon : "When the shores of our time will have receded too far for anyone to remember having lived them, there may well be young people to investigate the genesis of the art of the period with the same searching and sensitive look as our generation would have given Durand-Rule, Collard, Kahnweiller's log-book, if they had written one. In DLM they will find the chart of several decades, but along the border where art and poetry meet."

Displaying the Lithographs and Etchings

The lithographs in these editions are spectacular and many collectors decide to have them mounted, framed and hung as art work. It was customary during the period in which these editions were published for the purchaser to buy a table easel or music stand and display the lithographs and etchings on a rotating basis. I would strongly encourage the buyer of this item to carry on that tradition.