Explore Original Unsigned Portfolios by Matisse, Chagall and More

Artists often produced unsigned prints as part of an official review of their career, in collaboration with prestigious publications. In the 20th century, journals such as the particularly influential, modernist magazine Verve played a huge part in shaping public opinion, establishing an audience for major household names.

Thirty-eight issues of Verve were published by its esteemed editor Tériade between 1937 and 1960, attracting titans of 20^th century art such as Henri Matisse, Joan Miró and Georges Braque. The printing workshop Atelier Mourlot, where artists such as Pablo Picasso frequently worked, regularly collaborated with Verve. It was here that the artists created luxurious prints specially for the publication, which would not only explore how their art sat within contemporary culture but act as testimony to their inevitable historical significance.  

In 1937, Matisse created the first ever cover for Verve. It is fitting that the magazine went on to print Dernière Oeuvres de Matisse in 1958, an edition dedicated to celebrating the artist's final works. The lithographs for this issue were created by Matisse at the end of his life in 1950 and were published posthumously in 1958. The artist reimagined his famous cut-outs, such as his Blue Nudes and L'Escargot, in lithography. These lithographs are from the only edition of the cut-outs that were produced directly by Matisse working with Mourlot and are therefore the closest that we can get to acquiring an original cut-out without pinching one from a public collection.

Browse the Verve Portfolio

Artists also created unsigned portfolios to commemorate major exhibitions as part of exhibition catalogues.

In 1991, American abstract artist Agnes Martin released a deluxe catalogue for the occasion of her retrospective at the Stedelijk Museum. This publication was composed of illustrations, verse and prose written by the artist, a Jawlensky Award supplement (a prestigious award of which she was the first recipient) and ten outstanding lithographs.

Martin was renowned for her meticulous compositions, which harnessed abstract glories of being such as happiness, beauty and innocence. Between 1974 and 1993, Martin painted the majority of her works on six-foot-square canvases. The Paintings and Drawings 1974-1990 lithographs were created to explore some of the works created during this time period,  transforming her large paintings into intimate and more collectible works of art. These lithographs are a valuable addition to any collection, enabling collectors to acquire a selection of Martin’s most beloved compositions at the same size as just one painting.

Browse Paintings and Drawings 1974-1990

In 1959, Picasso made one of his sketchbooks available to be reproduced for publication by Editions Cercle d’Art. The resulting lithographs, exact replicas of Picasso’s original sketchbook, were printed at Atelier Mourlot in Paris. This portfolio is known as Carnet de la Californie.

It is a common practice for revered artists, such as Henry Moore and David Hockney, to print original facsimiles of their sketchbooks. Sketchbooks are mostly only ever created with a singular audience in mind – the artist themselves. Through printing a facsimile sketchbook of a limited edition, artists are able to share a rare insight into their practice.

Carnet de la Californie is named after Picasso’s house in Cannes. The artist created over 175 sketchbooks throughout his career, and Carnet de la Californie is one of his most famous examples. It is an important record, revealing how the artist often studied and drew inspiration from the Old Masters (such as Rembrandt and Delacroix). Many of these early sketches evolved into some of Picasso's most iconic paintings – his studies of women in Turkish clothing are believed to be the early inspirations for his significant painting Jacqueline in Turkish Costume.

Browse Carnet de Californie