Yōsei no Kyori 妖精の距離 [Fairy's Distance]

1937. Takiguchi Shūzō 瀧口修造, author and Abe Yoshifumi (also Yoshibumi, Abe Nobuya) 阿部芳文 (阿部展也), artist. Yōsei no Kyori 妖精の距離 [Fairy's Distance]. Showa 12 [1937]. Tokyo: Shunchōkai 春鳥会. 30.3 x 24.5cm folio of poetry with a magnifying glass design on the front cover. Three single sheets 30.2 x 24.2cm: one with title page, one with an index and one with a colophon on one side and limitation on the other. 12 folded sheets 30.2 x 24.2cm closed, each with a poem on the right in Japanese facing an Abstract/Surrealist print on the left.

I have consulted with several individuals with considerable expertise in the field, in both the trade and academia. We (truncated) all agree that the prints are probably not sekiban 石版 (stone litho), but we are uncertain of the process. What is clear is that this is one of the rarest avant garde books of that era in Japan. Yōsei no Kyori 妖精の距離 [Fairy's Distance] is 61 of 100 copies and the author's first poetry art book.

Takiguchi Shūzō 瀧口修造 (1903 - 1979) was a Japanese artist, poet and collector born in Toyama prefecture and is considered the most important surrealist in Japan. He was influenced by European artists, such as André Breton, eventually translating one of his works from French into Japanese in 1930. Takiguchi is credited with starting the avant-garde group Jikken Kobo 実験工房 (Experimental Workshop) in 1951. He participated in and organized the Japanese pavilion for the 1958 Venice Biennale, which is when he was able to meet his European counterparts, such as Breton, Salvador Dalí and Marcel Duchamp. He went on to collaborate with Jasper Johns and Joan Miro. His work is held worldwide, including at MOMA in New York City and The British Museum in London. The artwork is by Abe Yoshifumi (also Yoshibumi, Abe Nobuya) 阿部芳文 (阿部展也), (1913-1971) a Niigata Prefecture-born artist, painter, photographer and graphic designer. His work has been exhibited internationally, in group and solo exhibitions in Italy and at MOMA in NYC. 1 copy found in WorldCat held at the National Diet Library in Japan.

Toning of pages and folio with dust staining of folio and a stain on rear cover. Crease on top right hand corner. Artwork and poetry in good condition.

See Tate Museum online, MOMA and The British Museum, accessed May 4, 2021. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/j/jikken-kobo-experimental-workshop

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/17236?artist_id=14022&page=1&sov_referrer=artist

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG172324

https://www.moma.org/artists/14022. (Inventory #: 90863)