Lithograph on vélin de Rives paper. Paper size: 14.5 x 10.75 inches. Excellent condition. Inscription: hand signed and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the folio, Variations sur l'imaginaire, 1972. Published by Philippe Lebaud, Éditeur, Paris; printed by Atelier Edmond et Jacques Desjobert, Paris, March 15, 1972. Excerpted from the volume (translated from French), The circulation of this work from the collection Variations has been limited to 190 examples which are justified as follows: twenty examples on Japon Nacré, numbered from 1 to 20 to which was attached a suite on Rives des lithographies and an original gouache; thirty examples on Auvergne numbered from 21 to 50 to which a suite on Rives des lithographies was attached; one hundred and forty examples on Rives numbered from 51 to 190. A non-commercial example marked 0 was drawn for each of the employees of the edition. Completed on March 15, 1972, the edition was produced under the direction of Alain Bosquet and Philippe Lebaud with the collaboration of Jacques de Cornulier and Jean-François Fouquereau and the contribution of Pierre Jean Mathan for typography. The lithographs of Cremonini, Fred Deux, Delmotte, Hélion, Herold, Masson and Peverelli, were drawn at the workshops of Fernand Mourlot; the lithographs of Coutaud and Labisse at the workshops of Jacques Desjobert; the lithographs of Aillaud, Dufour, Ferrer, Man Ray and Monory at the workshops of Clot, Bramsen and Georges; the lithographs of Leonor Fini, Lamy, Lepri and Rohner at the workshops of René Guillard; the lithographs of Baj and Lunven at the workshops of Michel Cassé. The binding was executed by Jacques Ebrard based on a model by Paul Mc Lennon. The texts and lithographs bear the autographs of their authors. LUCIEN COURTAUD (1904-1977) was a French painter and engraver known for his surrealist and figurative works that often explored themes of eroticism and fantasy. Born in Meynes, Gard, he moved to Paris to study at the École des Beaux-Arts and became associated with the Surrealist movement, although he developed a unique style that set him apart from his contemporaries. His work is characterized by a blend of dreamlike imagery and distorted human figures, often set in barren landscapes. Coutaud's art was influenced by his experiences in World War II, and he also designed sets and costumes for the theater. Despite being less well-known than some of his Surrealist peers, Coutaud's work has been exhibited in various galleries and museums, contributing to the rich tapestry of 20th-century French art.