IRMA STERN - SCARCE!!! - Irma Stern and the Spirit of Africa - Joseph Sachs - 1942

20.5 cm by 14cm (small book), 63 pages plus plates (all black and white). Boards slightly dicsoloured around edges, some shelf wear and corners bumped, but overall a lovely clean little copy with no foxing on internal pages. A very good copy.

 J.L Van Schaik, Pretoria, 1942. First Edition. The first book in English on this important South African artist. In the the original 1/4 pale grey cloth, pictorial paper boards as issued. This binding is less common than the more usual deep yellow boards and 1/4 mustard cloth.

“Irma Stern and the Spirit of Africa” by Joseph Sachs was the first monograph ever written on Stern and is an essential for any Irma Stern enthusiast. Published in 1942, this modestly-sized book was written in predominantly poetic style. Sachs’s lyrical writings evoke Stern’s view of Africa and her love for that which remained ‘unchanging’ and ‘exotic’. 

Below a quote from the Graham's sale mentioning the successful auctioning of a copy of this rare book.

"The true gems of the evening however still lay in the Impressionist Modern books, with a book about Maggie Laubser “Her Paintings, Drawings and Graphics” which sold for over R 15 500, and Irma Stern’s, “Spirit of Africa” by Joseph Sachs, at over R 5 000." - Graham’s Fine Art Auctioneers  Sale on the 18 & 19 May 2010.