MARIE lAURENCIN'S 'SOMMER'
(dÜSSELDORF: gALERIE fLECHTHEIM, 1920)

I recently had the great pleasure of selling Sommer, a portfolio of lithographs by artist Marie Laurencin (French, 1883-1956) and poems by poet Adolf Hatzfeld (German, 1892-1957) to a prominent gallerist and collector. Working with this stunning object was an exciting opportunity to engage with Modernist printmaking practices and publishing during a pivotal moment of art making just after WWI.

'Sommer,' which is German for 'Summer,' celebrates the summertime and the feelings of renewal that greener grass and warm weather brings. This collaborative project between Laurencin and Hatzfeld must have been a refreshing, light-hearted project after the terrors of the First World War. While playful, Laurencin’s images and Hatzfeld’s language continue to bear signs of trepidation.

Laurencin contributed four lithographs (Drei Tiere, Frau mit Geige und zwei Hunden, Hund auf einem Wed, Vögel, und Blumen, and Behelmter Mensch mit kariertem Umhang auf einem Hund reitend) and Hatzfeld four poems (titled Sommer, Sommerlandschaft, Grüner Sommer, and Glück). While the pictures and poems do not correspond directly, they equally share an appreciation for the splendors of summertime: spending time with a lover or one’s beloved pets, playing the violin, doing laundry outside, or taking in the warmth and joy of a fresh, green landscape.

This unique copy includes a tipped-in, sepia-colored self-portrait by Laurencin, signed in purple crayon. Other than the self-portrait, the lithographs were printed on fine chine paper, which is very light-weight and translucent. Adding to the special nature of this portfolio, in Laurencin’s hand is an address to ‘Alfred,’ most likely Alfred Flechtheim of the Galerie Flechtheim in Düsseldorf. Flechtheim represented Laurencin in Germany and published the present set in the city. Additionally, this copy includes Adolf von Hatzfeld’s autograph in pencil on the verso of the last poem Glück.

The portfolio includes a foreword by René Schickele, a German-French writer, essayist, and translator. Following is a biography of Laurencin by André Salmon, a French poet, art critic, writer, and early defender of Cubism.

Marie Laurencin was an important French painter and printmaker, a member of the Cubists and associated with the Section d’Or. The artist was drawn to the female form, often putting her subjects within fantastic and pastoral settings, seemingly removed from industrialization and the machinistic forces of the day. By exaggerating proportions or reducing detail, her figures were sensuous and playful, yet full of emotional and psychological depth.

Adolf von Hatzfeld was a German writer and poet and an exponent of German Expressionism. In 1913, a suicide attempt led to permanent blindness which became a source of inspiration for the poet. While unable to see, his work is visually expressive and captures in detail his experiences, travels, and acquaintances.

Provenance: The Library of Jacques Levy