Ubu cocu, restitué en son intégrité tel qu'il a été représenté par les marionnettes du Théâtre des Phynances (Ubu Cocu: Restored to Its integrity as It was Presented by the Puppets of the Théâtre des Phynances)
<p>In this sequel to Alfred Jarry’s best-known play, <a href="https://www.artic.edu/artworks/241626"<em>Ubu roi</em></a>, the beloved and bumbling king considers how to address his wife’s infidelity. Through a series of phallus-based puns and slapstick violence, King Ubu’s world comes alive. Mary Reynolds bound this version of the play and harnessed the story’s momentum through daring design choices.</p> <p>From left to right, every element of the book cover spells out the title, <em>Ubu cocu</em>, which translates to “Ubu cuckold.” Reynolds nestled the title’s letters into the bright yellow </em>C</em>’s. The <em>b</em> of <em>UbU</em> appears lowercased, perhaps reflecting the theme of emasculation that runs throughout the story. The author’s name is also miniscule, nestled underneath the b at the bottom of the spine.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1944
- Dimensions
- 19 × 12.2 × 2.2 cm (7 1/2 × 4 13/16 × 7/8 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Artist
- Mary Reynolds
Artist
Textile
Mary Reynolds was an American artist and bookbinder active in Paris during the mid-twentieth century. Working primarily in hand-bound volumes and paper arts, she developed a distinctive practice that merged fine art with the craft tradition of bookbinding. Her work bridged Surrealist circles and the material culture of the book object itself. This profile will be expanded as more verified source material becomes available.
Full artist profile →More
More by Mary Reynolds
Saint Glinglin: précédé d'une nouvelle version de Gueule de Pierre et des Temps mêlés: Roman (Saint Glinglin: Preceded by a New Version of Stone Mouth and Mingled Time)
1949 · Full green morocco binding; horizontal onlay across covers and spine; broken china teacup handle attached by onlay to spine; title stamped in gold on front cover; author stamped in gold on back cover; marbled endpapers; original paper covers bound in
Le Diable au corps: Roman
1947 · Chêneuarter vellum binding with green paper; morocco spine label with author and title stamped in gold; decorated endpapers; original paper covers bound in
Le Foyer des artistes
1947 · One-quarter vellum binding, sides covered with red paper speckled with gold stars; original paper covers bound in
Exercices de style
1947 · Quarter black calfskin binding with marbled paper; calfskin label on cover with title stamped in gold; author stamped in gold on spine; top edge colored; marbled endpapers; original paper covers bound in
Le surmâle: Roman moderne (Superman: A Modern Novel)
1945 · Full black morocco binding with onlay; metal corset stay attached to spine; title stamped in gold on spine; mauve endpapers printed with wire-mesh pattern; original paper covers bound in
Loin de Rueil (Skin of Dreams)
1944 · Full red morocco binding with raised bands; author and title stamped in gold on spine; endpapers of trial proofs for Marcel Duchamp's 1935 cover of Minotaure; original paper covers bound in
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Artist
- Mary Reynolds
- Year
- 1944
- Dimensions
- 19 × 12.2 × 2.2 cm (7 1/2 × 4 13/16 × 7/8 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1944-047747
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified