This exquisite lithograph by Pablo Palazuelo (1916–2007), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the folio Derriere le miroir, Tendance, No. 50, originates from the 1952 edition published by Maeght Editeur, Paris, and printed by Mourlot Freres, Paris, 1952. This striking composition reflects Palazuelo’s synthesis of geometry, rhythm, and transcendence, demonstrating his ability to transform mathematical precision into poetic abstraction.
Executed as a lithograph on velin paper, this work measures 15 x 33 inches, with bifold as issued. Unsigned and unnumbered as issued. The edition exemplifies the superb craftsmanship of Mourlot Freres, Paris.
Artwork Details:
Artist: Pablo Palazuelo (1916–2007)
Title: Sans titre (Untitled), from the folio Derriere le miroir, Tendance, No. 50
Medium: Lithograph on velin paper
Dimensions: 15 x 33 inches, with bifold as issued (38.1 x 83.82 cm)
Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered as issued
Date: 1952
Publisher: Maeght Editeur, Paris
Printer: Mourlot Freres, Paris
Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium
Provenance: From the folio Derriere le miroir, Tendance, No. 50, published by Maeght Editeur, Paris; printed by Mourlot Freres, Paris, 1952
About the Publication:
Derriere le miroir (Behind the Mirror) was one of the most important art publications of the 20th century, created and published by Maeght Editeur in Paris from 1946 to 1982. Founded by the visionary art dealer and publisher Aime Maeght, the series served as both an exhibition catalogue and a work of art in its own right, uniting original lithographs by leading modern and contemporary artists with critical essays, poetry, and design of the highest quality. Printed by master lithographers such as Mourlot Freres and Arte, Derriere le miroir became synonymous with the artistic vanguard of postwar Europe. Each issue was devoted to a single artist or theme and published to accompany exhibitions at the Galerie Maeght in Paris, featuring works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, Alexander Calder, Fernand Leger, and Alberto Giacometti, among others. The publication reflected Maeght's belief that art should be both accessible and elevated—an ideal realized through its luxurious production values, meticulous printing, and collaboration with the greatest creative minds of its time.
About the Artist:
Pablo Palazuelo (1916–2007) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, and draftsman whose visionary fusion of geometry, rhythm, and metaphysics established him as one of the most important figures of postwar European abstraction. Deeply influenced by the intellectual and spiritual traditions of modernism and by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, Palazuelo transformed geometry into a living language of form and energy. Born in Madrid, he studied architecture before turning to painting and moved to Paris in 1939, where he immersed himself in the avant-garde and developed a visual philosophy that joined mathematical rigor with organic intuition. Drawing on his studies of physics, alchemy, music, and philosophy, Palazuelo treated geometry not as a static system but as a dynamic process of growth, rhythm, and transformation. His early works of the 1940s and 1950s revealed his belief that art could make visible the invisible structures of the cosmos—a vision that earned him comparisons to Kandinsky and Paul Klee. By the 1950s, through his association with Maeght Editeur in Paris, Palazuelo became part of the circle of leading European modernists, exhibiting alongside Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, and Georges Braque. His series “Umbrales,” “El numero y las aguas,” and “Onda” demonstrate his mastery of spatial rhythm, as line and form unfold like living organisms or harmonic frequencies. During the 1960s and 1970s, he expanded into sculpture, creating works in bronze and iron that echoed the balance and tension of his paintings, merging architecture and abstraction in meditative compositions that explored the threshold between matter and spirit. His art sought to unify reason and intuition, revealing the hidden geometries that bind all existence—a philosophy that later influenced artists such as Eduardo Chillida, Sean Scully, Bridget Riley, and Anish Kapoor. Palazuelo’s work is held in major museums worldwide, including the Museo Reina Sofia, the Centre Pompidou, the Tate Modern, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and he was honored with major retrospectives at the Guggenheim Bilbao and Fondation Maeght. Recognized as a master of postwar abstraction who bridged art, science, and spirituality, Palazuelo stands among the great innovators of 20th-century art alongside Picasso, Calder, Giacometti, Dali, Miro, Kandinsky, Duchamp, and Man Ray. His highest auction record was achieved with the painting Onda (Wave), which sold for $2,785,000 USD at Sotheby’s, London, on February 26, 2008, affirming his enduring influence and stature in the history of modern art.
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