Rickshaw, by D.L. Bloch, Shanghai 1941-1942. Volume with 60 woodcuts by David Ludwig Bloch. [Shangahi, ca. 1942].
A series of impressive woodcuts, depicting daily life of Chinese rickshaw drivers, created by David Ludwig Bloch, a Jewish refugee in Shanghai, during the 1940s. This series of woodcuts is the first of four series created by Bloch while living in Shanghai, in which he depicted in great detail what surrounded him, mainly the life of the lower class Chinese population.
The book was printed by the artist in a limited edition of ten copies only. Presented is copy no. 6, signed and numbered by the artist.
David Ludwig Bloch (1910-2002) was born in Germany to a Jewish family. He lost his parents at an early age and became deaf when still a young child. He started to study porcelain painting in 1925, and later studied in the Art Academy in Munich. For several years he worked as a graphic designer for a department store in the town of Straubing, Bavaria. He was fired in 1938 for being Jewish. During Kristallnacht he was arrested and deported to Dachau concentration camp where he was held for four weeks. Bloch was then released and succeeded in fleeing to Shanghai – the only place in the world that allowed Jews to enter with no passport or visa.
Bloch stayed in Shanghai for about ten years and was involved in painting. His work depicts daily life in the city, the Jewish Ghetto in particular. First he used watercolor and later created drawings in pencil as well as woodcuts (a technique which he mastered in Shanghai). During these years he created hundreds of woodcuts which he compiled in four series: "Rickshaw", "Beggars", "Chinese Children", and "Yin and Yang". His works were exhibited in various exhibitions in the city and gained positive reviews.
In 1949 Bloch immigrated to New-York with his wife whom he met about a year after arriving in Shanghai. In the United States Bloch continued his artistic activity and worked as a graphic designer. His creations were inspired by his life in Shanghai and his memories from Dachau concentration camp. [64] leaves (sheets folded into two, unopened, printed on one side), 21 cm. Woodcuts: Approx. 7X5 cm – 9X12 cm. Good condition. Foxing and dampstaining. Torn spine, damaged binding.

Aus dem Reigen-Process [From the 'Reigen' Trial], a portfolio with fourteen lithographs by Emil Orlik. Berlin: Neue Kunsthandlung, 1921.
Fourteen lithographs by Emil Orlik – portraits of participants in a trial which took place following the performance of the play "Reigen" by Arthur Schnitzler. The play composed in 1897 and performed for the first time only in 1921, arose, at the time, a public scandal due to its sexual context and provocative nature, and an indictment was submitted against the theater team that performed the play. Many were summoned to testify in court, including Emil Orlik, who passed the time by drawing the portraits of the attendants in court.
The lithographs are all signed by Orlik. The portfolio was printed in an edition of 180 copies. Presented is a copy which is not numbered, with a dedication handwritten by Orlik to one of the witnesses in this trial, Prof. Witkowski [most probably, the German scholar of literary history Georg Witkowski]. Enclosed is an handwritten letter by Orlik to Witkowski (German), from May 1922. Orlik writes, among other things, about his intention to dedicate one of the portfolio copies to him and comments that Witkowski's name was wrongly spelled and he will, therefore, have to correct the name by hand in all the copies [the correction in pencil can be seen in the portfolio]. Portfolio: [4] pp, [14] lithograph plates, 40 cm. Good condition. Some creases and slight damages. Portfolio stained and torn. Letter: 28 cm. Good condition. Folding marks. Some stains and slight damages.

Strassen Und Cafes, Eine Mappe Mit 8 Lichtdrucken Nach Zeichnungen von Ludwig Meidner. Leipzig: Kurt Wolff, 1918. German.
"Streets and Cafés", portfolio containing eight prints of paintings by Ludwig Meidner. Copy no. 140 from an edition of 150 copies; signed by Meidner on the colophon. [4] pp + [8] plates, 43 cm. Good condition. Stains to first pages. Damages and tears to portfolio.