Georges Bataille Story of the Eye tote

A classic of French surrealism, George Bataille’s novella Story of the Eye (l'Histoire de l'oeil) is widely regarded as an erotic masterpiece of the 20th century. Published in 1928 under the pseudonym Lord Auch and initially illustrated by André Masson (later by Hans Bellmer), Histoire de l’Oeil has since become a pivotal text for art history, literature, and cultural criticism, inspiring such scholars as Michel Foucault, Susan Sontag, and Roland Barthes. The narrative relates the sexually charged adventures of three adolescents preoccupied with lewd acts and obsessive fantasies. At times soft boiled eggs, milk, a bull¹s testicles and an eye ball are employed during their sex games, which eventually become violent as they spiral into a frenzied dance of lust and death, forecasting the theories of ecstasy and transgression which Bataille developed in later work.

This tote bag's art is drawn from Andre Masson's illustrations (a series of eight lithographs) for the original 1928 French edition, which was published by by René Bonnel and Pascal Pia in an edition of only 134 copies.

• Light and thin material
• 100% organic cotton
• Monochromatic look
• Open main compartment with wide bottom
• Fabric weight: 5.01 oz/yd² (170 g/m²)
• Product dimensions: 14″ × 15 ¾″ × 2 ¾″ (36 cm × 40 cm × 7 cm)
• Blank product components sourced from India