Földvári Books

Scarce Erotic Art-Nouveau Portfolio

Aiglon [Sassy, Attila]; [Introduction by:] Rónai, Mihály

Ópium-álmok. Songes d’opium. [Opium-Dreams.]

[Budapest]: [Privately published, printed at Világosság könyvnyomda], 1909. First edition. Limited, numbered (1/250/300). The artist’s father’s copy. In original, brown cardboard cover with blue title vignette, printed in black, bound with yellow ribbon. Illustrated title page, one plate with ex-libris illustration, eight lithographic plates, and two text plates in Hungarian and French. 12 leaves. 240 × 315 mm. Title vignette slightly rubbed. Front and rear cover somewhat sunned, chipped at the edges. Small water stain at the upper right part of the cover. Small damage to the cover at the binding. Pages moderately dusted at the extremities with no effect on text or illustration. One page with two light stains. Overall in very good condition.

Extremely scarce, first edition of Attila Sassy’s portfolio of Art Nouveau erotic drawings. Copy of artist’s father.

This portfolio, created in the genre of Aubrey Beardsley, is considered as one of the highlights of Hungarian Art Nouveau. It was first published in a very limited number of copies, for Sassy’s closest friends and family. This copy was made exclusively for the artist’s father, Árpád Sassy. The portfolio was reissued for the broader public nine years later, still in very limited number.

Attila Sassy (1880–1967), known under the pseudonym, Aiglon is associated with the circles of modern artists in Paris and in Nagybánya, the cradle of modern Hungarian painting. He became known mostly for his graphic works, many of which are in the collection of the Museum of Applied Arts in Hungary.

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Price: €5,100.00