Földvári Books

Czech Surrealism

[Edited by:] Zykmund, Vaclav

A zatím co válka. (Sborník. Svazek 3.) [And While the War. (Proceedings. Volume 3.)]

[Brno]: Edice Ra - Rovnost, 1946. Illustrated with 24 full page photographic reproductions. First edition. In publisher’s hard paper. With illustrated dust jacket, designed by Vaclav Zykmund. 60, (4) p. With a tiny damage to the tail of the spine. Otherwise in fine condition.

First postwar publication of the Czech surrealist RA Group with several full page photographic reproductions.

The Ra Group evolved from the circle of the younger surrealist artists around Karel Teige in the pre-war Czechoslovakia. Their first publication - though not yet as “RA” - is considered the 1942 photo book “Roztrhané panenky” (The Dismembered Dolls) by Josef Istler, Milos Korecek, Ludvík Kundera, Vilém Reichmann and Vaclav Zykmund. Their next publication was another book of photographs, the recordings of their private events and happenings, the “Vyhruzny kompas” (The Menacing Compass) in 1944.

This brochure “A zatím co válka” (And While the War), is their first post-war publication also the introduction of the group, however not a manifesto, with several illustrations and texts by Ludvík Kundera, Hans Arp, Zdeněk Lorenc, Tristan Tzara and Václav Zykmund. It was prepared for their exhibitions within the country, but with its twenty-four, high quality, full page, photographic illustrations (the works by Josef Istler, Milos Korecek, Bohdan Lacina, Otta Mizera, Jaroslav Puchmertl, Vilém Reichmann,Václav Tikal and Václav Zykmund) it was also useful at the International Surrealist Exhibitions in Paris 1947 and in Prague where “RA” exhibited. The Group was soon banned by the Communist authorities and it was dissolved in 1948.

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Price: €800.00