William P. Carl Fine Prints is pleased to represent the estate of Victor Delhez
Victor Delhez was born in Antwerp, one of seven children from a wealthy Antwerp family. From 1916-18 he studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and from 1918-23 he was a student at the Faculty of Exact Sciences at the University of Louvain. He graduated as an agronomist with chemistry as his primary subject. He began exhibiting his caricatures and surrealist works on paper during this period. In addition, his first series of prints was published in Antwerp in 1925.
In 1925 Delhez's life changed. His parents were killed in a car crash so he gave up his job as manager of his father's motorcar company and decided to move to South America. In Buenos Aires, (1926-1933), he worked as a draughtsman, architect and contractor. While actively pursuing his engraving career he then decided to move to Bolivia. There, in conjunction with his friend Edgar Ernalsteen, he produced a first set of forty illustrations for the gospel and illustrated Lord Dunsady's "A Dreamer's Tale". During the late 1930s he continued refining his wood engraving technique and moved to Chacras de Coria, Argentina in 1940. His most famous work originated here and he became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, National University of Cuyo. He lived in Chacras de Coria for the rest of his life. His days as the itinerant artist were over.
Since 1926, Delhez's work has been shown in innumerable print exhibitions and his work can be found in many museum collections including Brussels, Antwerp (Plantin-Moretus), the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian. His editions are remarkably small, normally only eight impressions per block. He signed the prints with the reference "epreuve d'artiste" signifying these impressions are from the edition of eight. His range of subjects include Dostoevsky, Baudelaire, the Dance of Death theme, architecture, Lord Dunsady's "A Dreamer's Tale," self portraiture and of course, the Bible. The series "Apocalypse" ('Book of Revelation') is a masterpiece of 20th century graphic art. This, along with "Architecture and Nostalgia," show the artist at his best: a technician, an architect, a dreamer, a poet, a comic and a thinker. We are pleased to offer these exceptional prints for sale to our clients.
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Angel Hovering over a Town with two Levels and many Bridges (Engel Boven tweeplannige Stad met veel Viadukten) (Steen IV)
Wood engraving, 1945, Breda catalogue 619, edition unknown. 15 5/8 x 13 in. Signed and titled in pencil; also inscribed, "épreuve d'artiste." This is a superb impression of this tour de force of wood engraving. The margins are full and the condition is excellent. This print combines architectural fantasy work, which Delhez mastered in the series "Architecture and Nostalgia," with his interest in the two dimensional sculpted figure. He was a visionary in both his combination of subjects and his ability to transform the medium into something beyond the skills of his contemporaries.
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Architecture and Nostalgia XVII
Wood engraving, circa 1955, small edition. 15 x 11 1/2 in. Signed and titled in pencil. A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins. Inscribed "epreuve d'artiste". This series of architectural fantasies occupied Delhez throughout his life.
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Architecture and Nostalgia, #1
Wood engraving, 1949, small edition. 15 3/4 x 12 3/4 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Also inscribed "epreuve d'artiste". A fine impression of this major work. Full margins. Fine condition. A symbolic vision of Venice.
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Architecture and Nostalgia, #25
Wood engraving, 1973, small edition. 15 5/8 x 12 1/2 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Inscribed in pencil "epreuve d'artiste". A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins.
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Architecture and Nostalgia, #6
Wood engraving, 1955, small edition. 15 3/4 x 12 3/4 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Inscribed in pencil "epreuve d'artiste." A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins.
$1,400 |
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Architecture and Nostalgia, #8
Wood engraving, 1955, small edition. 15 3/4 x 12 1/2 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Inscribed in pencil "epreuve d'artiste." A fine impression in very good condition. (Old tape stains at corner of sheet and at sides of sheet.) Full margins.
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Architecture and Nostalgia, #9
Wood engraving, 1955, small edition. 14 7/8 x 11 1/2 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Inscribed in pencil "epreuvre d'artiste". A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins.
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Bard
Wood engraving, 1939, small edition. 11 7/8 x 9 in. Signed in pencil and initialed in the block. Inscribed "epreuve d'artiste." A fine impression in very good condition. Two small repairs at left margin edges. Depicted is the skull of a poet. The design of the skull is mimicked in the hill behind it.
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Book of Revelation, VI (12-16), Cosmic Darkness
Wood engraving, 1957, small edition. 15 3/4 x 12 3/4 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Initialed in the block. Inscribed in pencil "epreuve d'artiste." A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins.
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Book of Revelation, VIII (10-11), Absinth Angel
Wood engraving, 1957, small edition. 15 3/4 x 12 7/8 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Initialed in the block. Inscribed in pencil "epreuve d'artiste". A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins.
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Book of Revelation, XII (7-12), War in Heaven
Wood engraving, 1957, small edition. 15 5/8 x 13 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Initialed in the block. Inscribed in pencil "epreuve d'artiste". A fine impression in fine condition with full margins.
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Book Of Revelation, XIX, (1-8), Meeting of the Kings in Heaven
Wood engraving, undated (1950-60), small edition. 15 3/4 x 13 in. Signed in pencil and inscribed "epreuve d'etat." A fine impression in very good condition. Minor tape stains at top of margin.
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Book of Revelation, XVI (4-5), The Third Cup
Wood engraving, 1960, small edition. 15 5/8 x 13 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Initialed in the block. Inscribed in pencil "5 de staat." A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins.
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Book of Revelation, XX (4-6) The Millennium
Wood engraving, undated (1950-60), small edition. 15 5/8 x 13 in. Signed and titled in pencil. A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins. Inscribed "epreuve d'artiste."
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Clouds
Wood engraving, 1941, small edition. 15 3/4 x 12 7/8 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Inscribed in pencil "epreuve d'artiste". A fine impression of this large print. Fine condition. Full margins. # 5 from the series "Studies Without Support" (also called "Torbellinos").
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Cybernetiek
Wood engraving, 1956, small edition. 11 3/4 x 9 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Initialed in the block. Inscribed "epreuvre d'artiste". A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins. From the series "Danse Macabre".
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Dance of Death XXVI, Art & Science
Wood engraving, 1946, small edition. 11 7/8 x 9 in. A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins. Inscribed "epreuve d'artiste."
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Dance of Death XXX, Self Portrait
Wood engraving, 1948, small edition. 12 x 9 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Inscribed "epreuve d'artiste." A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins.
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Danse of Death XV, Winter
Wood engraving, 1942, small edition. 11 3/4 x 9 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Inscribed "epreuve d'artiste." A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins. This image was inspired by the German campaign against the Soviet Union during WWII.
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Graphic Art (Arts Graphiques)
Wood engraving, 1946, Breda catalogue 628, edition unknown. 13 x 15 1/2 in. Signed and titled in pencil and with the inscription "3me état, épreuve d'artiste." This is a very fine impression of this rare print. The paper is a cream wove and the margins are full. There's some minor wrinkling at the extreme top and bottom margins. This work was done at his studio in Chacras de Coria, Argentina. Delhez originally lived and worked in Antwerp and produced many remarkable wood engravings printed in small editions.
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Graphic Arts
Wood engraving, 1946, small edition. 12 3/4 x 15 3/4 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Inscribed "epreuve d'artiste...3me etat." A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins. This early self portrait shows the artist at work in his first studio in Chacras de Coria near Mendoza, Argentina.
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He Who Returned
Wood engraving, 1941, small edition. 11 3/4 x 9 in. Signed in pencil and initialed in the block. Inscribed "epreuve d'artiste". A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins (somewhat narrow on the sides). This print was inspired by Baudelaire but not included in Delhez's rendition of "Les Fleurs du Mal."
$850 |
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Hypnopedie
Wood engraving, 1951, Breda catalogue 505, edition unknown. 11 7/8 x 9 in. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a fine impression with full margins. The condition is excellent. This is plate 32 from "Danse Macabre." Hypodedia is a complex image both visually and iconographically. On the left side we see a lot of popular activities such as race cars, boxing, horse racing, etc. There's also a scene of people with microphones including an image of Evita Peron and Salvador Dali. On the right is a theatre with people entranced and swallowing up basically everything presented. According to Marc-Edo Tralbaut, the engraving is inspired by one of Delhez's favorite books, "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley.
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La Ronde
Wood engraving, 1942, small edition. 15 5/8 x 12 7/8 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Inscribed in pencil "epreuve d'artiste". A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins. Fine condition. #2 from the series "Studies Without Support" (also called "Torbellinos") The scene depicted is a kind of ring dance with mythical overtones.
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Looking Back Wandering Star (Terugziende Dwaalster) (Steen IV)
Wood engraving, 1944-45, Breda catalogue 613, edition unknown. 15 5/8 x 12 3/4 in. Signed and titled in pencil and inscribed "épreuve d'artiste. This is a fine impression in fine condition. The margins are full. This is one of Delhez's most respected and memorable prints. As with the other works from his celebrated Steen (Piedra) series, a two dimensional medium, wood engraving, is used to convey a sculptural, three dimensional image in an imaginary landscape. The Breda catalogue raisonné does not provide any details regarding the meaning of this print. So often, the iconography of his work is obscure, complex and sometimes quite humorous. His prints often defy explanation in a surrealist kind of way and that may be the case here. This print is illustrated in Eugene Rouir's classic survey on modern Belgian printmaking, 150 Ans de Gravure en Belge (1980).
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Partijganger (Partisan)
Wood engraving, 1948, Breda catalogue 496, edition unknown. 11 3/4 x 9 in. Signed and titled in pencil. This is a fine impression in fine condition. The margins are full. This compelling image is Plate 23 from the series "Danse Macabre." Dehlez again presents himself as both artist and thinker. On the left we see the artist's strong Christian faith being represented and and the right shows symbols of fascism, money (greed), lust and even freemasonry.
One translation of the title is "fanatic adept."
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Portrait of the Artist as Ulenspiegel
Wood engraving, undated, Small edition. 12 x 9 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Inscribed "epreuve d'artiste." The character "Thyl Ulenspiegel" is well-known in Flemish folklore. He is a person who tells the truth in the form of a joke, holding a mirror to the people. The first appearance of Ulenspiegel has its origins in the Middle Ages. But the most famous one is the 19th century novel by Charles de Coster, written in French, a book that was considered revolutionary at the time. Ulenspiegel is, in this book, a young Protestant fighting the Spanish rulers and the Roman Catholic Church. This was a favorite book of the artist. Telling the "truth" in a hidden form pleased Delhez very much.
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Rejected
Wood engraving, 1941, small edition. 11 7/8 x 8 7/8 in. Signed and titled in pencil and initialed in the block. Inscribed "epreuvre d'artiste". A fine impression in fine condition with substantial margins. Sarcastically depicted here are Asa Cheffetz, Peggy Bacon and Todros Geller. They were the judges for the 7th International Exhibition held at the Art Institute of Chicago, 1939. They are shown viewing Victor Delhez's triple portrait from 1939 which was rejected by the panel. In the background is the symbol of justice.
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Scherzo in Gold
Wood engraving, 1948, small edition. 11 3/4 x 8 7/8 in. Signed in pencil and also initialed in the block. Inscribed "epreuve d'artiste". A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins. This brilliant parody on the concept of the "Golden Number" depicts a professor with the skull of a parrot and five students. The print is constructed around several pentagrams.
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Self Portrait
Wood engraving, 1941, small edition. 11 3/4 x 9 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Inscribed in pencil "epreuve d'artiste". A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins. This outstanding work was done in Chacras de Corio, Argentina, where he maintained his studio .
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Self Portrait
Wood engraving, circa 1975, small edition. 11 3/4 x 9 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Inscribed "epreuve d'artiste" in pencil. A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins. An engaging, later work.
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Steen II (Stone Series II)
Wood engraving, 1944-1945, Breda catalogue 608, edition unknown. 15 5/8 x 12 3/4 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Inscribed "épreuve d'artiste." This is a fine impression in very good condition. The margins are full. The description in the Breda catalogue describes this image as "modern moederschap," or, modern motherhood. Delhez's Steen series was dedicated to Lorenzo Domínguez (1901-1963), the Latin American sculptor who was a friend of the artist.
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Steen VII (Stone Series VII)
Wood engraving, 1946, Breda catalogue 626, edition unknown. 15 5/8 x 12 7/8 in. Signed in pencil. Inscribed "épreuve d'artiste." This is a fine impression in very good condition. The margins are full. This is plate VII from his Steen series. The "Venus" depicted in the image is the statue of a fertility goddess found in an archaeological excavation in the town of Willensdorf, Austria in 1908. Delhez entertains us here by placing this prehistoric statue in the role of a stone age traffic cop.
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Stone Series # 3 (Steen 3)
Wood engraving, 1944-45, Breda catalogue 612, small edition. 15 5/8 x 12 3/4 in. Signed in pencil and inscribed "epreuve d'artiste." This is a very fine impression with the details printing clearly. The margins are full and the condition is fine. This series of blockprints by Delhez is a tribute to his friend, the Latin American sculptor Lorenzo Dominquez (1901-1963). In dramatic fashion, this print is a meditation on the relationship of the graphic arts to other art forms, most notably, sculpture and architecture. The sculptor and his wife are in the lower left, the engraver is also there in the foreground on the right, looking left. This is a tour de force of engraving and a great example of Delhez's work. We have many other prints and welcome your inquiry.
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The Idle City
Wood engraving, 1936, Breda catalogue 465 (DT 13), edition unknown. 8 15/16 x11 3/4 in. Signed in pencil and inscribed "épreuve d'artiste." This is a good impression with full margins. Very good condition. This is one of twenty-one wood engravings which Delhez produced for "A Dreamer's Tales," by Lord Dunsany (1910). Delhez was living in Bolivia at the time and was corresponding with the Irish fantasy author. "Suddenly they fell upon one another, sword to scythe" (The city of Antwerp is pictured below.) This engaging image is referred to in one catalogue as "strijd tussen goed en kwaad," which is to say, the fight between good and evil.
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The Rich Fool
Wood engraving, 1948, small edition. 15 3/4 x 12 3/4 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Inscribed in pencil "epreuve d'artiste." A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins. From the Gospel according to Saint Luke XII (19-21).
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The Seventh Veil (De Zevende Sluier)
Wood engraving, 1949, small edition. 11 7/8 x 9 in. Signed in the block with the monogram. Signed and titled in pencil and inscribed, "épreuve d'artiste." This is a fine, dramatic impression printed on white wove paper. The margins are full and the condition is excellent. This is plate XXVIII from Delhez's Danse Macabre series. Essentially, it's a study in psychoanalysis with a woman on a table and the doctor behind her. Delhez was fascinated by film and cinematography and this complex, bizarre vision reflects this interest.
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Three Virtues (Drie Deugend)
Wood engraving , 1943, Breda catalogue # 490, edition unknown. 11 3/4 x 9 in. Signed in pencil and also inscribed "épeuve d'artiste." This is is a fine impression with full margins. The paper is a cream colored wove which is typically what Delhez printed on. His editions were always very small and each impression is usually inscribed as an artists proof. This early work from his Danse Macabre series, also called Dodendans, is exemplary of Delhez's interest in humor and the macabre. This is his version of the Chinese proverb, "Hear no Evil, See no Evil, Speak no Evil."
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To Be Or Not To Be
Wood engraving, 1948, small edition. 11 3/4 x 8 7/8 in. Signed in pencil and initialed in the block. Inscribed "epreuve d'artiste". A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins.
$875 |
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Untitled
Wood engraving, 1939, small edition. 11 3/4 x 9 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Initialed in the plate. Inscribed "epreuve d'artiste" in pencil. A fine impression in very good condition. Small stain in upper and lower margin, both well apart from the image. This triple portrait shows the artist working on a wood engraving and looking at a sculpture of himself made by Lorenzo Dominguez.
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Walkure
Wood engraving, 1942, small edition. 15 3/4 x 12 3/4 in. Signed and titled in pencil. Inscribed "epreuve d'artiste". A fine impression in fine condition. Full margins. #7 from the series "Studies Without Support" (also called "Torbellinos"). The use of textile is here used to show the "leader" of the group. The "Walkure" is a mythical group from the old German religion and they were "war ladies". Wagner also used them in "Der Ring des Nibelungen".
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