Fitch-Febvrel 235. From Le Magasin central des imprimés. Inscribed in the plate: “Le Magasin Central Des Imprimés / Erik Desmazières / Paris MMXIII”. Trimmed within the platemark and attached to portfolio cover of Le Magasin central des imprimés. Printed on BFK Rives. A fine impression in fine condition.
Sold as a suite of 7 etchings including frontispiece, contained in a cloth album with etched étiquette. Number 22 in an edition of 75 (numbers 1-50 sold en suite). The suite was commissioned by les Amis de la Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) to both document and celebrate the cavernous stacks, the storage area designed by Henri Labrouste in the 19th century, now emptied of all books in preparation for a major renovation. The artist was able to faithfully transcribe the architecture of the space, while transforming it into a dramatic visual vernacular unmistakably his own.
Sold as a suite for $10,000.