Pesaro: Franca Mancini, 1975.
68 x 89.7cm. Photolithography on thick paper, signed and numbered by Boltanski. A rare print-multiple by Boltanski. These are re-workings adapted from his important Saynetes Comiques series of exaggerated poses - here the artist is angry. Each print was uniquely hand-coloured. Issued in an edition of only 100 examples hand-signed and numbered by the artist. Fine estate in wood and glass frame.
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Dunsyre, Lanark: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975
11 x 11.2cm, 16pp (self cover). Drawings of tanks and war planes by Alexander Finlay (later Alex Finlay) from when he was young with short text works by Finlay that reflect the imagery.
Nocturne has a drawing of a man parachuting from a plane - Finlay's text shows the words "schräge musik" with two dots being repeated op the page diagonally. Schräge Musik was the German term for an autocannon that the Luftwaffe mounted in fighters but was also the contemporary German colloquialism for shaky, off-tune music ie slanted or oblique music. The slant of the text reflects that origin as a well as the way the bullets tragectory.
A very scarce Finlay book and charming in the way his son was involved in the production. Later Alex Finlay would publish many books - we think this was his first. VG+. ...
Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975.
20 x 15.2cm, 2pp. A photograph of an installation in the Stonypath (later Little Sparta) of a ground stone that reads "See POUSSIN, Hear LORRAINE." in front of a small lake. Both names are painters, the first tending to paint arcadian scenes, the other views of rivers and sea ports. Photo by Michael McQueen, the sculpture who worked to Finlay's instruction was John Andrew. VG+.
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NYC: Rene Block Gallery, 1975
15 x 10.5cm, 2pp announcement card for a selling exhibition of photographs of art performances and works. The front image is of several views of Beuys’ 24 Stunden performance taken by Ute Klophaus. VG+.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975
58.5 x 48.5cm, blue on white silkscreen. The image is of a number of airplanes with their wings raised (as found in the belly of an aircraft carrier) so to allow them to be placed more closely to each other. Finlay by adding the title Lullaby indicates that these planes might be seen as somehow sleeping - and the visual image reminds one of young birds in a nest. Hence this is a visual poem - the image having double meanings and hinting at subtle meanings.
The image we have used here is from a publication - the print we hold is framed in wood and glass and hard to image without reflections - but the work is in VG+ condition.
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Copenhague: Bergs Verlag, 1975
17 x 11.2cm, 48pp plus blue wrappers. First edition of this artist's book that M. Berg (see previous letters) commissioned from his friend Boltanski. The many b/w images show in short sequences games and adventures that a young nine year old boy might undertake (climbing a tree, playing tops, spinning a knife, completing a jigsaw puzzle). As ever these are recreations of childhood memories with the boy in the images (whose face is never shown so standing for all young boys) clearly a model. This is one of 600 pencil numbered copies. text in Danish and French. VG+.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975
34.1 × 22.8cm, 4pp printed outer folder (black on cream) with the title text and inside a single sheet of green wove paper with the words ANTIQUE WOVE printed at the bottom.
This was one of the first of such works where the paper choice added within a folder is a comment on the subject matter. The choice of green antique wove paper is a reference to the verdant countryside of the Watteau painting, the fact it is a classical "antique" theme.
This innovation of creating a poem using the very materials employed in the printing is to the best of our knowledge a Finlay invention and, as we say, used in similar such works by the poet in later years.
Very slight grubbiness to outer folder else VG.
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Dunsyre, Lanark: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975
14.7 x 10.5cm, printed outer folder in orange with nine 14.5 x 10cm, 1pp postcards inside. Each card has a photograph by Dave Paterson of Finlay's toy boats in water, reeds and other outdoor situations. Below each photograph is a poem by Finlay in a rhyming scheme which tell the tales of the adventures of the boats and their owner as well as copious remarks on their structures including the ubiquitous handkerchief sails. Is this an artist's book or a collection of artist's postcard - debatable but we have kept it with the books because of the linked stories. VG+.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975.
20 x 15.2cm, 2pp. A photograph of a garden sculpture depicting the world's first ever nuclear submarine - USS Nautilus. The work is in concrete and an abstracted shape of the hull and towers. Photo by Michael McQueen, the sculpture who worked to Finlay's instruction was John Andrew. VG+.
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Zurich: Painting Box Gallery, 1976 42 x 30cm, 2pp. Announcement in form of a broadside with five images of works and text in German for a solo show. Folded for mailing else VG+. ...
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d. (1975) 7.5 x 15.2cm, red on white ceramic tile with a profile drawing of the Japanese battleship of the Yamato class (the largest in their navy) which was suck by American forces during the battle of Okinawa on April 7, 1945Above the title text "IJN DJINN YAMATO". This is perhaps the hardest of Finlay's tiles to find. VG+. ...
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d. (1975) 10.7 x 10.7cm, black and olive green on white ceramic tile with a diagram of a sundial in the middle and the text: " THE FOUR SEASONS AS FORE-AND-AFTERS." around the outside with four names of boats "the Samuel Moss", "the Kathleen and May", "the Minnie Flossie" and "the William Ashburner" on each side - each pertaining to one of the four seasons. One of only 100 made. Very scarce object multiple....