Original 1954 lithograph by Pierre Tal-Coat, printed in Paris by Mourlot Frères.  For over 150 years, Mourlot was almost synonymous lithography, producing work of such excellent quality that it was clear they had attained the height of printing mastery.  While the studio closed in 1999, the works and the process established by its inception remain accessible via prints such as this.  Center-fold and verso text as issued.  Sheet size: 15 x 22 inches.  Excellent, near-mint condition.

Pierre Tal-Coat (1905 - 1985), born Pierre Jacob, was a French abstract landscape painter, printer, and sculptor.  He adopted the pseudonym Tal-Coat (meaning “face of wood” in the Breton dialect), to avoid be confused with poet Max Jacob.  Tal-Coat is considered to be one of the founders of Tachisme, a style of abstract painting popular in the late 1940s and 1950s, that is often viewed as the European equivalent of Abstract Expressionism, albeit stylistically different.  In 1963 he collaborated alongside Joan Miró and Ubac in the creation of the Maeght Foundation.  He designed a wall mosaic for the Foundation's entrance in 1968.  While not as financially successful as some of his contemporaries such as Miro and Picasso, he was well-respected, and was awarded France's Grand Prix National des Arts.  From 1953 - 1954, he was the subject of several exhibitions at New York's Guggenheim Museum.  A retrospective exhibition devoted to his work was held at Paris' Grand Palais in 1976.