182 - [UNION OF MODERN ARTISTS].

[UNION OF MODERN ARTISTS]. For Modern Art. A Framework for Contemporary Life. [Paris: Union of Modern Artists, 1934]. — In-8, 237 x 179: (16 ff.), printed cover. Stapled. A sought-after first edition of the manifesto “For Modern Art” published by the Union of Modern Artists, with literary collaboration from journalist, critic, and art historian Louis Chéronnet (1899–1950). This manifesto was written in response to articles, lectures, and pamphlets that had been claiming for several years that there was no modern architecture or decorative art in France, and that the pursuit of pure harmony was responsible for the slump in the luxury goods industry. The UAM viewed this as a “breach of trust toward public opinion” and sought to demonstrate that the crisis in the arts and crafts sector and the art trade was merely a consequence of the general economic crisis, and that adapting to progress had never diminished the quality of artistic production. The only remedy for the slump, it asserted, was to continue creating sincerely and without compromise, without looking back. Among the active members of the UAM were Rose Adler, Carlo Rim, Paul Colin, Francis Jourdain, Le Corbusier, Gustave Miklos, Maximilien Vox, and others. A well-preserved copy, bearing on the cover this autographed inscription: “With friendship from Cheronnet.”