185 - Paul van OSTAIJEN. *Het Bordeel van Ika Loch*. With a frontispiece by René Magritte. Antwerp, De Driehoek, undated [1925]. in-12 booklet, stapled.

Paul van OSTAIJEN. *Het Bordeel van Ika Loch*. With a frontispiece by René Magritte. Antwerp, De Driehoek, undated [1925]. in-12 booklet, stapled. First edition. Limited edition of 330 copies: one of the 30 special editions on Holland paper (No. 4). Frontispiece by Magritte, dated 1925 within the illustration: this is the first book illustrated by the painter. An important satirical text by Paul van Ostaijen (1896–1928), a Flemish poet who died at age 32. An art dealer in Berlin and later in Brussels, he became friends with the painters of his time—Magritte, of course, but also Paul Joostens, Prosper De Troyer, and the Jespers brothers. Oskar Jespers thus served as the illustrator for *Bezette Stad*, van Ostaijen’s major Dadaist work. His work, one of the most influential of the Flemish avant-garde, remains largely unknown in France. The most valuable copy is Magritte’s, which bears a handwritten dedication signed by the author on the back of the frontispiece: To Magritte, with warmest regards and many thanks for his drawing, 1/27/26 P van Ostaijen