Foujita’s A Book of Cats – 20 Cat Illustrations and Poems

This exceptional and rare volume with 20 collotype plates is Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita’s A Book of Cats. The work was published in New York by Covici Friede in 1930. The plates are printed on Arches paper. Foujita truly captured the character of the cats as they posed, rested, or played.

This is a fine example of Foujita’s master work, from number 469 of 500 copies. This is “… one of the rarest and most desired books on cats in existence.” (Kalda, Of Cats and Men, p 43) Each cat image has its own name and is accompanied by a poem about the respective cat by British writer Michael Joseph (1897-1958). The volume is bound in original red cloth with front cover and spine lettered in silver.

Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita (1886-1968) was a Japanese–French painter and printmaker. He was called the “master of cats.” He was also referred to as “the most important Japanese artist working in the West during the 20th century.” He moved to Paris in 1913 to pursue his artistic career in earnest. He soon became friends with many other leading artists of the day including Juan Gris, Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.

Provenance: Library of Dr. John Talbot Gernon