Robert Breer – The First Flip Book

Breer, Robert.

Image par images.

Paris: Galerie Denise René. 1955.

Unpaginated flip book, it consists 100 sheets, printed on the recto side only. Creating an animated sequence of abstract shapes.

12 x 9 cm. Flip book in original black paper covers.

EUR 2800

Created in 1955 by the American avant-garde artist and filmmaker Robert Breer (1026-2011), Image Par Images (translated as „Image by Image“ or „Frame by Frame“) is a seminal masterpiece of kinetic art. Produced for the legendary Le Mouvement exhibition at the Galerie Denise René in Paris, this work represents a historic milestone: it is widely recognized as the first flip book to be presented and recognized as an autonomous work of art within a gallery space.

The content within the book reflects Breer’s background in geometric abstraction, influenced by the Neo-Plasticist movement. Each page features minimalist abstract lines, blocks of color, and evolving geometric forms. While every single page stands alone as a static, abstract composition, the pages are chronologically sequenced. When the viewer flips through the edges of the book with their thumb, the individual frames merge into a fluid, animated sequence, creating a cinematic experience in the palm of one’s hand.