BUFFET Bernard - Complete work with "DON QUIXOTE" suite 75x58cm - 1989

Bernard Buffet illustrated one of the great classics of world literature in 1989 with Don Quixote, in a particularly sought-after bibliophilic edition bringing together text and original lithographs. This work includes a series of 10 original color lithographs, accompanied, in this rare head copy, by a second series of 10 compositions printed in black only. All prints are made on Arches vellum in an imposing format of 75.5 × 58 cm and bear Bernard Buffet's signature in the lower right corner. The famous knight imagined by Miguel de Cervantes finds in Buffet's graphic language a particularly accurate interpreter: elongated silhouettes, angular faces, incisive black lines, and theatrical compositions give new intensity to the adventures of Don Quixote and his faithful Sancho Panza. The lithographs were printed on the prestigious presses of Mourlot, a historic workshop associated with the greatest artists of the 20th century, and the work was edited by Maurice Garnier, a gallery owner and publisher inseparable from Bernard Buffet's career.

This is the rare head copy numbered 13/200, part of only thirty copies enriched with the additional suite of 10 lithographs in black. The set thus includes 20 lithographs by Bernard Buffet and retains its original cardboard slipcase covered in gray cloth. Each lithograph is pencil-signed by the artist, as is the justification for the edition, reinforcing the exceptional and well-documented nature of this work. The comparison between the color compositions and their black versions also allows a full appreciation of Buffet's drawing power, his line work, and the construction of his characters. At the intersection of modern art, bibliophilia, and original printmaking, this 1989 Don Quixote is a particularly desirable set for collectors of Bernard Buffet, illustrated books, original lithographs on Arches vellum, and bibliophilic editions of the 20th century. The presence of the black suite, the small number of copies involved, the artist's handwritten signatures, as well as the printing by Mourlot and the Maurice Garnier edition give this copy a special interest within Bernard Buffet's graphic work.