L'Arbre du Plaisir

L'Arbre du Plaisir is a black and white linocut on ivory-colored paper, realized in 1945 by the Italian satiric master  Mino Maccari (1898-1989) .

Hand-signed with the pseudonym of " Jean Barbe " and numbered in pencil and in Arabic numerals on the lower margin.  Edition of 300 prints .

From the collection  On s'amuse: 16 gravures en bois par Jean Barbe  realized by the Italian illustrator and published by Documento, Rome.

In 1945, Mino Maccari published a folder containing 16 linoleums with a strongly erotic subject matter, titled  On s' amuse! . Because of the scandalous subject for the time, he signed with the pseudonym of Jean Barbe. The circulation is of 300 copies, 40 " before letter ", numbered in Roman numerals, hand-painted by Maccari himself and signed by him "J.B.".

This original print, representing in Maccari's satiric style the erotic fantasies of a woman in front of a metaphorical pleasure tree, is in excellent conditions, realized with a wise touch and expert artistic skills. A white cardboard passepartout is included (49 x 34 cm).

Reference :

Francesco Meloni,  Mino Maccari: reasoned catalog of engravings . Milan: Electa, 1979.

Mino Maccari  (Siena, 1898 - Rome, 1989)

A multi-faceted artist, painter, engraver, writer and journalist. He was a leading figure in twentieth-century Italian culture. He lived and worked in contact with the major Italian artists and intellectuals of the period, such as Malaparte, Soffici, Rosai, Longanesi, Pannunzio, Morandi, and many others. He was a prolific artist, remembered above all for being the satirical illustrator of  Il Selvaggio .