Derriere le Miroir
Modern Prints and Promotion
Aimé Maeght (1906–1981), founder of the famed Galerie Maeght in Paris (pronounced mahg), transformed the sale and promotion of modern art in post-war France. Among his innovations, he made fine print and book publishing an important artistic and promotional feature among the artists he represented. In 1946, the Galerie published the first volume of Derrière le miroir (Behind the Mirror), a beautifully designed modern art periodical that accompanied each of the Galerie’s exhibitions and included original prints, usually lithographs, by featured artists. Over the next thirty-five years, the Galerie produced 253 issues of Derrière le miroir. In addition to the fine prints, the publication included essays, poetry, and art criticism by leading contemporary writers. The issues were produced by Aimé and his son Adrien, both accomplished lithographers. Aimé and Adrien worked with the finest graphic workshops in France, including Imprimeurs Mourlot, to produce the early issues of Derrière le miroir.
Alexander Calder, untitled, lithograph
For Derrière le miroir (173), 1968. 1969.1.15.77 Gift of Drs. Meyer P. ’32 and Vivian O. Potamkin
