Description:

pen and ink and gouache
210 x 275 mm

Provenance:

The estate of the artist (stamp on verso)

Literature

Jacques Carelman, Catalogue d'objets introuvables, Balland, Paris, 1969, no. 11

Note:

Jacques Carelman’s 1969 Catalogue d'objets introuvables was a humorous compendium of whimsical objects – practical solutions to improbable situations – presented in the style of a mail order catalogue, parodying the French firm Manufrance. First published in 1969 by Balland, the catalogue proved a great success, went through several French editions, and was translated into nearly twenty languages. With drawings produced in the “Manufrance style”, Carelman illustrated familiar objects, derouted from their original function to a serve nonsensical one. Each illustration is accompanied by a short explanatory text which, beneath its informative surface, underscores its absurdity. Carelman’s whimsical gadgets are satirical manifestos of consumer society. The consequences of a world where technology and ingenuity only serve to needlessly complicate life. Additional objects from the catalogue include a whistle for deaf dogs, a stair climbing bicycle and a swing-saw.

The Parapluie familial, otherwise titled The umbrella for a family of three, or The paternalistic umbrella, was one of the more popular illustrations from the catalogue, reproduced by two newspapers to represent the publication’s absurdist spirit. The French edition carries the caption: “Un seul manche suffit à supporter les parapluies de toute la famille”.