Lithograph on vélin paper. Paper Size: 11.181 x 14.173 inches. Excellent condition. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. From the folio, Pierre Soulages: Peintres d'aujourd'hui, 1966. Published by Fernand Hazan, Paris; printed by l'Imprimerie Lecot, Paris, April 1966. Excerpted from the folio (translated from French), The illustrations for this album, which was completed in April 1966, were made by Bussière Arts Graphiques and drawn by l'Imprimerie Lecot. The text was drawn by l'Imprimerie Darantiere and the binding made by F.I.A.P., according to the models of Marcel Jacno. PIERRE SOULAGES (1919-2022) was a French painter, printmaker, and sculptor. In 2014, President François Hollande of France described him as "the world's greatest living artist." His works are held by leading museums of the world, and there is a museum dedicated to his art in his hometown of Rodez. Inspired by the art of Paul Cézanne and Pablo Picasso, Soulages began studies at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris, but soon dropped out because he was disappointed by the traditional style. Soulages said, "My instrument is not black but the light reflected from the black." Naming his own practice Outrenoir (Beyond Black), the paintings he produces are known for their endless black depth, created by playing with the light reflected off of the texture of the paint. Knowing that he needed a new term to define the way that he worked, Soulages invented 'Outrenoir' to define his practice. Not having a translation into English, the closest meaning is 'beyond black'; in a 2014 interview he explained the definition of the term, "Outrenoir doesn't exist in English; the closest is "beyond black." In French, you say "outre-Manche," "beyond the Channel," to mean England or "outre-Rhin," "beyond the Rhine," to mean Germany. In other words, "beyond black" is a different country from black."