‎BERCKELAERS, Fernant - Geert PYNENBURG - [Alias] Michel SEUPHOR - Alias] Geert GRUB :‎
‎Het OVERZICHT. Onder de leiding van Fernant Berckelaers en Geert Pynenburg. Periodical, Antwerpen. Eerste Jaargang. (First year) Complete‎

‎" Antwerpen, Het Overzicht, 15 June 1921 - september 1922. in-4°, 32 x 24,5 cm, 101 pp. (7 physical issues, only issue 1 and 2 are single, all others double). Complete with all the woodcuts and linotypes which were published in the text and some outside the text. No wrappers nor publicity. Bound in an unassuming blue half cloth binding. Boards covered with brown marbled paper. This extremely rare complete first year of the periodical ''Het Overzicht'' is one of the 15 copies which were bound in by the editor Fernant Berckelaers (alias Michel Seuphor). Written on the first paste down is a note in his hand; ''Dit nummer 13 van de 15 gebonden Ie jaargangen is eigendom van de Heer Bernard De Maere van Antwerpen. 15-10-22. Signed F.(ernant) B. (erckelaers). Completed with a simple rubberstamp ''HET OVERZICHT''. (Translation: this is number 13 of a series of 15 bound copies of the first year and it belongs to Mr. Bernard De Maere). The dedicatee might be the Antwerp painter Bernard or (Bernhard) De Maere ( 1887 - 1954). We could not find a reference to this special series of 15 bound copies of the first year . As all these ''avant-garde'' periodicals were constantly in financial difficulties; Seuphor must have divised this special series of the complete first year to alliviate his financial troubles. With the careful note he made on the paste-down, with the name of the subscriber, and extra the rubberstamp of ''Het Overzicht'' he probably tried to upgrade the artistic and bibliophile standing of his publication. The first year of het ''Overzicht'' ( The Survey), one of the most important avant-garde periodicals published in Europe after the First World War, is extremely rare. In contrast to the second series (issues 13->22-23-24) these first 12 issues were published with an unassuming typograpical cover. Co-editor Geert Pynenburg (alias Geert Grub) was replaced in the second series by Jozef Peeters. This led to an exhuberant modernism; not only of ideas and criticism but now also in illustrations and typography (especially the covers). The modest outlook of the first series might have contributed to the fact that so few issues of the first year survived."‎

Reference : 54428

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