Paul Eluard / Hans Erni - [leporello] Sommes-nous deux ou suis-je solitaire - 1959

Paul Eluard.
Are we two or am I solitary.
Paris, Au Vent d'Arles, 1959.
Copy no. 98/100.
An important artist's book in Leporello format: 23.2 x 11.8 cm closed – 23.2 x 480 cm open!
It contains 31 original etchings by Hans Erni, printed in Crommelynck's workshop.
Parchement binding monogrammed with a double E on the upper cover, under a red leather case, also monogrammed on the spine.
Text including the thirty and the first verse of 'Poésie ininterrompue ...', the binding and stitching were performed by Jean Duval.
Bibliography: Giroud/Cramer, Hans Erni, 25.

Hans Erni (1909-2015) was a Swiss painter, draftsman, and sculptor.
He studied at the Académie Julian in Paris, then, in 1930, at the School of Applied Arts in Berlin.
In Paris, he associated with Jean Arp, Mondrian, Brancusi, Calder, Henry Moore and many other artists. He was strongly influenced by the works of Braque and Picasso.
In 1934, he joined the Abstraction-Création group.
His graphic production was abundant, as were his illustrations of works, often of great depth.
He was the artist who accompanied Éluard in « Sommes-nous deux ou suis-je solitaire ? » (Au vent d'Arles, 1959), a work that the poet regarded as the most successful of his considerable oeuvre.