A celebrated writer and poet, Michaux spent the war years in exile in the South of France, working extensively with watercolor, a medium he identified as having a destructive force: "water, omnivoredemon, carrying away islands, creating mirages, breaking down dams, overflowing from worlds." Often depicting ghostlike figures, he further explored ideas beyond the visible world, or what he called l'espace du dedans (inner space), in a variety of ways, including through a later series of ink drawings made while under the influence of the hallucinogen mescaline.

Gallery label from

Soldier, Spectre, Shaman: The Figure and the Second World War, October 24, 2015-March 20, 2016.

Medium Watercolor and ink on paper
Dimensions 12 1/2 x 9 1/2" (31.8 x 24.1 cm)
Credit Acquired through the generosity of Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder
Object number 1609.2000
Department Drawings and Prints

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