Bonhams' auction of the Gemini Collection of Modern Prints and Illustrated Books has seen top bids for Joan Miro's A Toute Epreuve, "one of the most triumphant feats of book illustration in our century".

Miro's work is considered one of the finest illustrated books ever created

The book of 80 original woodcuts was hailed as such by respected art critic James Thrall Soby, with Miro illustrating text on Catalan Spain by Paul Eluard.

Signed by the artist, it sold for $43,750, leading the sale.

It was number 78 from a limited edition of 130.

All but four of the woodcuts display Miro's striking colours.

The book took Miro over 10 years to produce, with the artist commenting: "I have made some trials which have allowed me to see what it was to make a book and not merely to illustrate it.

"Illustration is always a secondary matter. The important thing is that a book must have all the dignity of a sculpture carved in marble."

Copies of Derriere le Miroir are extrememly collectible, showcasing original prints by some of the world's top artists

Also starring in the October 28 sale in New York was a series of 11 original lithographs by Marc Chagall, which sold for $11,875.

The works were printed in Derriere le Miroir (1954), an artistic journal dedicated to artists who exhibited at Paris' Galerie Maeght, including Calger, Kandinsky, Leger and Matisse among others.

This copy, a special triple edition, shows the pieces Chagall produced for his 1954 exhibition at the gallery, all of which are themed around Paris.

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