Self-portrait 1927

Born May 4, 1890 in Stanislaviv (today Ivano-Frankovsk), Ukraine; died June 6, 1971 (age 81) in Paris, France. A Jewish painter and printmaker; he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow in the studio of Professor Joseph Mehoffer.  Kolnik was mobilized to serve in the army during World War I.

Exhibited in the United States of America in 1921. Upon return Kolnik settled in Chernivtsi. In 1931 the artist moved to Paris. There he worked as illustrator. In 1940, he was interned at the Récébédou camp in Haute-Garonne with his wife and daughter.

1934 Sous Le Chapeau Haute Forme (Under the Top Hat)

  • Title: Sous le Chapeau Haute Forme: 24 Gravures sur bois
  • Author and Illustrator: Arthur Kolnik
  • Introduction: Henri Barbusse
  • Date: 1934; the wood engravings were executed in the winter of 1932-1933
  • Publisher: Editions Les Ecrivains Réunis
  • Place of publication:  Paris
  • Printer: l’ Association des Maîtres- Imprimeurs à Paris under the direction of E. J. Pouvreau
  • Copyright: Arthur Kolnik?
  • Size: 25 x 32 cm; Dimensions of the printed image: 18 x 15 cm
  • Binding: Folder containing 24 loose wood cuts
  • Language: French titles, etc
  • Paginated: yes
  • Printed: recto
  • Edition: 315 copies
    • 20 examples on Japan numbered 1 – 20
    • 285 examples on velin numbered 21 – 305
    • 10 examples hors commerce numbered I to X
  • Printed from the original wood engraving blocks
  • Description: black and white; [5], 24 leaves : ill.: Folder is card about the same thickness as the sheets but the front has a title sheet lightly glued on.
very light page numbers printed at bottom of the page
Intro and Index

A Possible Proof Copy

Lacking the page with limitation numbers. The images have an ink, hand-written number, top right of each image versus the printed number at the bottom of the page under each image. Also a number of the pages have ink smudges.

Has the same folder.

Note ink hand written number at top right
A number of the pages have ink smudges as
one might expect from a rushed printer.

1936 Edition – images are smaller ie printed facsimile

Substantially the same as the 1934 edition except for the following:

  • Publisher: Editions Ars, Les Artistes Juif series (The Jewish Artists Series)
  • Date: printing completed November 15, 1936
  • Printer: Schiffer
  • Size: 12mo. 7-1/2 high by 5 inches wide
  • Binding: Soft cover
  • Paginated: images numbered lower right under the image
  • Printed: recto
  • Edition: 1000 copies printed
  • Printed from the original matrix: No – reproduced