EN PASSANT PAR LÀ

First edition. Inscribed by Joe Downing. Publisher's white card covers with titles in black to the upper cover and spine, in the blue card dustwrapper with titles in yellow. Illustrated in colour throughout. A fine copy, the binding square and tight, the contents clean throughout and without previous owner's inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the very good rubbed and slightly toned dustwrapper.

Inscribed by the artist in blue ink on the title page "à travers le temps, / mon amitié, Bernard - / Joe". The American born artist Joe Downing caught his first glimpse of Paris whilst serving in the US army as an artillery observer in Europe during World War II. He returned for a three month trip in 1950 only to find that he could not bring himself to leave and maintaining an apartment and studio there until his passing in 2007. His first solo exhibition in 1952 at Galerie 8, was attended by Pablo Picasso whose simple words of "well done" were encouragement enough to spur Downing on. One of only three Americans to have exhibited in the Louvre, Downing's work is held in museums and private collections worldwide including the Paris Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian Institution and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Provenance: from the library of Martin Stone.