The Secret Art of Antonin Artaud

Antonin Artaud (1896-1948) was a stage and film actor, director, writer, drug addict, and visual artist. This volume presents two texts translated into English which describe Artaud's drawings and portraits. In one, Jacques Derrida examines the works that he first saw on the walls of Paule Thevenin's apartment. His text struggles with Artaud's language and is punctuated by footnotes and asides that reflect this strain ("How will they translate this?"). The more straightforward text of Paule Thevenin describes the history of Artaud's drawings and portraits. Due to a dispute between Artaud's heirs and Paule Thevenin, the book does not contain reproductions of Artaud's artwork. Instead, there is a series of photographs of Artaud by Georges Pastier. "We won't be describing any paintings," says Derrida in the text, which is addressed to that which underlies both language and art.