Louis Icart (1888 - 1950)
The Professor
from "The Life of Breasts"
Original colour Etching and Aquatint
Size: 28 x 23 cm
Year: 1945
Original and only edition
Total edition of 200
Numbered 129 in the edition page
(very rare)
Excellent condition
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THE PORTFOLIO
"La Vie des Seins" (The Life of Breasts) is an exquisite and rare illustrated portfolio published in Paris in 1945.
This work stands as a fascinating example of late Art Deco elegance, created during a pivotal moment in French history.
While the text is credited to "Docteur Jacobus", the true soul of the volume lies in the mastery of its illustrator, Louis Icart (1888–1950).
Icart, the preeminent artist of Parisian "boudoir" style, provided fifteen original color etchings for the suite, including five impressive double-page spreads. The portfolio is presented as a "pseudo-medical" or satirical treatise, exploring the aesthetic and anatomical varieties of the female form with titles like "Virgin Breasts" or "Granular Areola." Despite the clinical-sounding theme, Icart’s artistic touch remains delicate, sophisticated, and ethereal.
His use of drypoint and aquatint captures the "Parisian Eve" with the lightness and romanticism that made him a global icon of the 1920s and 30s. Printed in a very limited edition of 200 copies, La Vie des Seins is highly sought after by collectors today. It represents a mature stage of Icart’s career, blending his signature erotic charm with the refined craftsmanship of mid-century French editions.
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THIS VERY ARTWORK
The engraving titled "The Professor" is one of the most emblematic and ironic pieces in the entire suite.
Unlike other plates that focus purely on the female figure, a male figure appears here: the "Professor". He is depicted as a distinguished man, often with glasses and an erudite aura, intent on examining or "teaching" the aesthetic characteristics of the female breast.
The scene is a satire of academic pedantry. The professor observes the female body not with passionate desire, but with the coldness of an expert analysing a rare specimen or an experiment. This contrast between the sensual beauty of the sculpture and the man's clinical approach creates a comic and slightly surreal effect.
It represents the core concept of the portfolio: transforming physical attraction into a "science." It is the moment where the observer (and the reader) is invited to view the body not as a taboo, but as an object of both artistic and scientific study.
In short, it is the artwork that best embodies the spirit of the portfolio: merging the high-brow (science, teaching, the professor) with the carnal (desire, eroticism, anatomy), all filtered through the timeless elegance of Art Deco.
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This listing is for the original etching and aquatint by Louis Icart. The colophon and edition page are pictured as proof of authenticity; high-resolution scans and a certificate of authenticity can be provided to the buyer upon request.
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