About the cover:

Half leather binding Dark grey box calf spine, two bronze-coloured calfskin binding straps pulled through the covers, attached covers made of black hardboard, without turn-ins. Covered with rust-coloured nubuck leather, ebony straps with metal eyelets mounted on the front and back covers along the spine, narrow ebony splint on the front edge; fine leather endpapers, barbered edges, board-to-board endpapers of the same bronze-coloured calfskin, flyleaf of black laid paper, brown half-leather chemise lined with moss-green suede, brownish paper cover, gilt-stamped spine title, slipcase opening edged with black leather, brownish paper cover.

About the content:

Henri Michaux: Peintures

Ex. No. 393 of 550 on wove paper

Editions G.L.M. Paris 1939 Seven poetic texts with 16 strange gouaches of ghostly figures and monstrous heads that do not really correspond to the times. Michaux believed that pictorial art could not be limited to a simple imitation of reality, but that the aim was - like Paul Klee or Max Ernst - to tread the path towards an imaginary art and the exploration of the inner world.

His work as a painter is celebrated today, especially his large ink drawings.

About the artist: Jean de Gonet set up his own studio at boarding school while still at school and acquired his first specialist skills. After graduating from high school and completing his military service, he found his first job as a bookbinder in the historical service of the navy. Two years later, orders from an important collector enabled him to set up his own studio. After exhibiting some of his bindings at the Centre Pompidou in 1977, booksellers and curators became aware of his new style and invited him in 1978 to present contemporary bindings to the younger generation together with Monique Mathieu and Georges Leroux. His first solo exhibition took place in 1982 at the Giraud-Badin bookshop.

At the request of the Centre Pompidou, he designed a library binding with PU covers in 1985. He had this patented and from then on worked with 6 employees for many large libraries. In 1987 he was awarded the National Arts Crafts Prize.