De Blijde en Onvoorziene Week.

Paris.: Cobra-Bibliotheek., 1950. Loose as issued in original thin card folder, with additional hand-coloured illustration by Karel Appel. Cover slightly browned, overall a very good copy.. (27.3 x 22 cm).. pp. (16). With the seven illustrations, each hand-coloured by Karel Appel. He has also hand-coloured the illustration on the front cover. One of the landmark early Cobra artist’s books. Karel Appel and Hugo Claus created this book at the end of 1950, when they were both living in Paris. It was published as the first number of the Cobra-bibliotheek’s ‘Hand-reeks’ (Hand Series). The book consists of seven hand-written texts and drawings, which were subsequently duplicated using a photocopying system. Karel Appel then coloured the illustrations by hand. His work exhibits the playful, colourful shapes that were inspired by children’s drawings and which are so typical of the work of the Cobra artists. Advance subscribers could receive this book for just three guilders, but unfortunately there were only three subscribers. This partly explains why the second volume in the ‘Hand-reeks’ was never published. De Blijde en Onvoorziene Week was published in an edition of 200 numbered copies, signed by Hugo Claus and Karel Appel on the title page. This copy is complete with the original printed order sheet or Bestelbiljet for the book, with an additional hand-coloured illustration by Appel.