Corneille

GUILLAUME CORNELIS “CORNEILLE” VAN BEVERLOO (Belgium, 1922 – France, 2010).
“De tes mains partit le vide,” 1991.
Artist’s book. Edition of 99 copies
Includes six original prints, signed and numbered 13/99.
Publisher: La Différence; Éditions Francis Delille.
Comes with a slipcase designed by the Dermont-Duval workshop.
Measurements: 20.5 x 13.5 cm (plate); 28.5 x 21 cm (paper); 30 x 22.5 cm (folder).

A bibliophile edition published in 1991 by La Différence and Éditions Francis Delille. *De tes mains partit le vide* brings together text and image in an intimate dialogue between literature and graphic art, conceived as a true artist’s book. The strictly limited print run of only 99 copies and the inclusion of six original prints signed and numbered by the artist make this piece a work of special interest to collectors. The prints accompanying the publication encapsulate the essential elements of Corneille’s visual language: stylized figures, birds, organic forms, and compositions rich in symbolism, executed with a chromatic freedom and spontaneity inherited from the CoBrA movement, of which he was a founding member. The care taken in the production is complemented by the original slipcase created by the prestigious Dermont-Duval workshop, which underscores the publication’s exclusive nature.

Guillaume Cornelis van Beverloo was one of the key figures of the postwar European avant-garde and a founding member of the CoBrA movement. Trained in Amsterdam alongside artists such as Karel Appel and Constant, his work evolved from abstraction toward a deeply imaginative language, influenced by Surrealism, African art, and the paintings of Klee and Miró. Beginning in the late 1950s, he developed an unmistakable iconography populated by birds, female figures, exotic animals, and fantastical landscapes, rendered in intense colors and thick black outlines. His work is part of major international collections, including the MoMA in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Dordrecht.