Nielsen, Kay - Hans Christian Andersen
£1,500
Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs
Auction: 28 January 2015 at 11:00 GMT
Description
Fairy tales. London: Hodder and Stoughton, [1924]. 4to, number 34 of 500 edition de luxe copies signed by Kay Nielsen, 12 tipped-in colour plates by Nielsen, original vellum gilt
Footnote
Note: Also to follow along the path paved by Dulac and Rackham was Kay Nielsen. Born in Copenhagen to creative parents, he studied at the Acadamie Julian and Acadamie Colarossi in Paris. As with Rackham and Dulac, Nielsen was most comfortable with the subject of fantasy and received his first commission in 1913 illustrating In Powder and Crinoline, Fairytales Retold. Embracing bolder rather than muted colours, Nielsen created fantastical worlds with impact as opposed to dreamy grace. The following year was the most fruitful of his career with 21 colour and 21 monochrome plates for East of the Sun, West of the Moon and illustrations The Monk of Fire. After an exhibition in New York, Nielsen spent time in Copenhagen designing scenery for the Royal Danish Theatre before returning to illustration in 1924. Over the next two years he established his place in the arena of fantasy illustration with artwork for fairytales by Hans Andersen and Hansel and Gretel. In 1939 he applied his talent to the new medium of storytelling and was employed by the Walt Disney Company. He became renowned within the company for his concept art and contributed to many films, most notably the Ave Maria and Night on a Bald Mountain sequences in Fantasia.