80 - GONTCHAROVA (Nathalie) - LARIONOV (Mikhail) - PARNAKH (Valentin).

GONTCHAROVA (Nathalie) - LARIONOV (Mikhail) - PARNAKH (Valentin). Modern Theatrical Decorative Art. Paris: La Cible, 1919. — In-4, 325 x 250: 18 pp., (3 ff), 14 plates, illustrated cover. Loose-leaf, pasted-in cover. First edition of one of the very first publications—if not the first—to offer an analysis of the stage designs by the Russian avant-garde couple: Nathalie GONTCHAROVA (1881–1962) and Mikhail LARIONOV (1881–1964). It followed an exhibition of the same name, organized by Larionov from April 16 to May 7, 1918, at the Galerie Sauvage in Paris. The text is by Valentin Parnakh (1891–1951), a multidisciplinary artist—a dancer, poet, and musician of Russian origin—but above all a close friend of the couple, who thus pays them a heartfelt tribute. The edition is illustrated with a black-and-white composition on the cover, 8 montaged reproductions within the text (3 by Larionov and 5 by Goncharova), and 14 inserts, broken down as follows: 3 color illustrations mounted into the text and 11 color stencils or lithographs, including 7 by Larionov and 4 by Goncharova. Limited edition of 515 copies on vellum paper; this copy is one of the 400 numbered in Arabic numerals (No. 434). The copy is in very good condition, despite some slight soiling and small, inconspicuous stains on the cover. There is minor soiling along the edges of a few plates.