Bookbinding (Cheri) (Primary Title)
Bookbinding (Former Title)
Rose Adler, French, 1890–1959 (Artist)
Marcel Vertès, Hungarian, 1895 - 1962, active in France (Engraver)
André Jeanne, French, active early 20th century (Gilder)
Colette, French, 1873 - 1954 (Author)
During the 1920s, the art of bookbinding attained new heights of excellence in design. Both the front and back covers of a book were treated as equally important complements to the contents. This book was created through the collaboration of three artists: the text of Chéri is by Colette, the engravings are by Marcel Vertès, and the binding is by Rose Adler. From 1917 to 1925 Adler attended the School of Decorative Arts in Paris and studied bookbinding with Pierre Legrain (whose work is also on view in this gallery). She created bookbindings and furniture for the French fashion designer and art patron Jacques Doucet and, after his death in 1929, continued to work for the Jacques Doucet Literary Foundation.
Inscribed (inside front cover at bottom): ROSE ADLER/1931; (inside back cover):
A. JEANNE DOR
Gift of Sydney and Frances Lewis
Cinquantenaire de l'Exposition de 1925, Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, October 15, 1976 - Feb. 2, 1977, no. 1 (Paris collection of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Karshan);
Art Deco 1910-1939, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK, March 27 - July 20, 2003; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada, September 15, 2003 - January 4, 2004; California Palace of Honor, San Francisco, CA, March 13 - July 5, 2004; Museum of Fine Arts Boston, MA, August 22, 2004 - January 9, 2005.
Art Deco 1910-1939, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK, March 27 - July 20, 2003; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada, September 15, 2003 - January 4, 2004; California Palace of Honor, San Francisco, CA, March 13 - July 5, 2004; Museum of Fine Arts Boston, MA, August 22, 2004 - January 9, 2005.
©artist or artist’s estate
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.