André Masson - La Mémoire du Monde - 1974

André Masson. THE MEMORY OF THE WORLD

Skira Editions, in the “Paths of Creation” series, Geneva, 1974, (21.5 x 16.6 cm), 172 pages, illustrated cover with flaps.

52 black-and-color illustrations, most full-page.

Original edition in excellent condition.

The Memory of the World is a work published in 1974 by Skira Editions in the series “Paths of Creation,” devoted to the Surrealist painter André Masson (1896–1987). This book blends personal memories, artistic reflections, and illustrations of his work, offering an intimate view of his creation and his career.

The work constitutes an intellectual and artistic autobiography, in which Masson discusses notably his traumatic experience of the First World War, which deeply marked his art. He also addresses his view of memory, of creation, and the role of the artist, in connection with his Surrealist experiences and his engagement with automatic drawing.

The book includes numerous black-and-white and color illustrations, allowing the reader to follow the evolution of his style from symbolism, to Surrealism, to expressive abstraction.

Published at a moment when Masson was internationally recognized (retrospectives at the MoMA in 1976 and at the Grand Palais in 1977), The Memory of the World is regarded as an essential witness to 20th-century artistic thought.