Arbeit Macht Frei" - 16 Drawings Inscribed Copy
194652694Bratislava: Central Union of Jewish Communities of Slovakia 1946. First Edition. Bratislava: Central Union of Jewish Communities of Slovakia 1946. First Edition. Trade issue. One of a stated 5000 copies; this copy inscribed by the artist on title page: "To my friends Rossi and Mikloš Foltari / F. Reichental" undated but apparently contemporary with publication. Quarto 36cm; cord-bound printed card wrappers; 2 preliminary leaves; 16 unnumbered leaves of plates on coated paper printed recto-only; printed colophon leaf and blank terminal leaf 20ll complete. Covers somewhat worn; two small marginal tape-repairs to front cover with is partially detached from cord binding; internal text leaves somewhat age-toned; plates clean and unfaded. Very Good. <br/>Preface printed in both Slovak and English by Vojtech Winterstein. <br/><br/>Album of drawings depicting the daily lives of prisoners in Nazi concentration camps rendered in Reichentál's singular Expressionist style. Well known and highly-regarded as an avant-gardist through the Twenties and Thirties Reichentál exhibited widely in Germany and Eastern Europe until 1939 when German troops occupied Slovakia forcing the mass exodus of the native Jewish population. Though Reichentál himself was able to evade capture by the Nazis many of his family members died in the camps. He returned to Czechoslovakia after the war finally emigrating to the U.S. in 1950 where he continued to exhibit new work until his death in 1971. Despite the rather generous stated printing of 5000 copies plus 1000 copies of a signed numbered edition this album is notably scarce with only about 15 holdings worldwide noted in WorldCat KVK and COPAC of which ten are in North America. Central Union of Jewish Communities of Slovakia unknown books
Lorne Bair Rare Books · États-Unis750,00 $US≈ 634,57 €
