Au 125 du boulevard Saint-Germain

Au 125 du boulevard Saint-Germain is an illustrated book created by Max Ernst in 1923. This early work is classified specifically as an illustrated book, a format often utilized by avant-garde artists to combine textual narratives with powerful visual imagery. The volume includes a key artistic component: a single drypoint print, executed by the artist. As a prominent figure active in the post-war European art scene, the creation of this piece in 1923 places it at a critical juncture in the development of modern graphic arts, bridging the gap between Dadaist cynicism and the burgeoning ideas of Surrealism.

The work is a product of the vibrant French artistic culture of the 1920s, a period defined by intense literary and visual experimentation in Paris. Ernst, having recently settled in the city, was deeply engaged with literary figures who championed new modes of collaborative publishing. The drypoint technique utilized by the artist requires etching directly into the metal plate with a sharp needle, producing sharp lines and rich, burred shadows that lend the resulting prints a distinctive, velvety quality. This focus on meticulous graphic detail is characteristic of Ernst’s early graphic output, often featuring dreamlike juxtapositions or mechanically ambiguous forms that challenge conventional perception.

This particular illustrated book, Au 125 du boulevard Saint-Germain, is important not only as an example of Ernst’s command of intaglio processes but also as a document of collaboration within the Parisian avant-garde. The limited-edition publication represents a significant moment in the elevation of the illustrated book as an art object. Today, this vital example of early 20th-century French graphic art resides within the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, preserving the context and integrity of this seminal work from 1923.