Mark Tobey (1890-1976) - Meanders — planche VI

Mark Tobey (1890-1976) Meanders, 1976 — plate VI Bon à tirer for the portfolio Meanders Color screenprint on Arches vellum Monogrammed “T” in pencil at the bottom right by the artist, as a sign of proof approval. No other mark: being a working proof, it bears neither the publisher’s dry stamp nor the back-stamp and signature present on the reverse of the final print. Dimensions : Sheet: 50.3 × 65.8 cm (19.8 × 25.9 in.) Condition: Good. Some pinpricks and handling creases. The reverse is not blank: it bears the impression of a work by another artist, unidentified, the printer having reused the sheet for this proof. Printed and issued by Edition Lanz, Basel. Color state: black line on blue background with peach passages. This is one of the bon à tirer sheets Edition Lanz submitted to Tobey during the realization of Meanders. Tobey inspected each proof and approved it by placing his monogram “T” in pencil. These bon à tirer proofs are therefore the only Meanders proofs signed by Tobey’s hand: he died on April 24, 1976, before the printing of the edition, and the 77-numbered edition appeared posthumously with the artist’s seal in place of his signature and Mark Ritter’s signature on the reverse. The proofs were pulled on Arches sheets already printed on the back with another artist’s work, the printer evidently not wanting to waste a valuable sheet for trial prints, and they carry neither dry stamp nor reverse stamp. Only a handful of these monogrammed proofs exist, which makes them very rare.

Estimate:£380.17

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