El Criticón

This unique edition shows Saura’s passionate, personal side, in which his drawings create an illuminating dialogue between two artists of universal stature. 

ARTIKA, in conjunction with the Fondation Archives Antonio Saura, has produced an edition of Baltasar Gracián’s masterpiece El Criticón illustrated by the Aragon-born artist. A series of sketches comprising views and landscapes from this classic of Spanish literature, as interpreted by the painter. 

Saura is at his most creative here, condensing the elements he habitually uses in his work into a unique, outstanding limited edition of 998 numbered copies. 

This impressive volume, bound in black cotton cloth, contains Gracián’s texts alongside facsimile reproductions of Saura’s 36 illustrations. 

The work includes a Study Book which covers Gracián’s life and work clearly and informatively, as well as examining Saura’s career and including correspondence by the artist to provide context. 

The two books come in a box made from aluminium and black lacquered wood – two tones that evoke Saura’s palette. The box’s original design leaves the print on the cover of the volume visible, and can be converted into a lectern for displaying the book when open. 

A collection of enormous visual power which represents an exceptional homage to one of the great Spanish artists of the 20th century.