N.p. (Nailsworth): Moschatel Press, 1975
10.2 x 5.7cm, 4pp green outer cover and bound in (string) is a folded white sheet with the vertical four word text "SNOW SAIL DROP FLAKE". A visual poem with the double meaning of the fall of a sail (a Snow is also a type of boat) and the fall of a snow flake. VG+ . Rather scarce.
JOINT:
Original printed envelope.
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Paris: Boltanski, 4 septembre 1974
29.7 x 21cm, 2pp Original handwritten letter in blue ink from Boltanski thanking Berg for his "bravery" in buying a painting from a young artist from a strange gallery.
Boltanski mentions Annette Messager's book and says he is very happy to create a book with Berg and announcing that he will soon send a maquette for the publication.
Boltanski says he has a new idea for works - a series of "burlesque" images of sketches (which are to be photographed - one being displayed in the work at the Munster Kunstverein.
He then sends his best wishes to Berg's wife, has good memories of his trip to Copenhagen and hopes to return one day.
A further handwritten addition from Annette Messager thanking Berg for his support and saying that she is working hard.
Both notes are signed by the writer.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1974.
12.7 x 77cm, 8pp. Artist card which opens out to show a calligraphic design using the German word for ship (Schiff) which is printed black and blue in reflection to give the impression of a boat on water (with the fold being the water level). A lovely graphic by Ron Costley who was one of Britain's greatest typographers and one of Finlay's longest lasting collaborators. One of 350 signed and numbered copies. VG+.
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Munster: Westfälischer Kunstverein, 1974
15 x 10.5cm, 1pp typographic announcement card for a major museum show of posters, photographs and other works. This was one of the artist's earliest museum shows (although compared with other artists Boltanki was pretty successful in this regard with an exhibition in the ARC in Paris in 1970 which was his 5th ever solo show!). The card mentions more recent work bhy the artist where he plays a "clown".
The card is signed by Boltanski (to M. Berg) in black ink.
JOINT:
Hand addressed (by Boltanski) envelope to M. Berg with franked printed stamping.
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N.p. (Copenhague): Berg, 28 Aout 1974
29 x 21cm, original vintage carbon copy of a signed letter from M. Berg to Boltanski.
The letter says that Berg cannot come to Paris soon and that he has good memories of a meeting in Copenhagen with Boltanski and Annette Messager and the discussions about Messager's artist's book he was shown.
Berg mentions the clipping from the newspaper he sent before and a new clipping (see elsewhere in this collection) about the artist and he discussed Boltanski's development as an artist with his friend John Hunov. The conclusion of that discussion was that Hunov and Berg request to commission a book from Boltanski for publication by Berg Verlag and by the Galerie Daner.
Berg explains that he is in Copenhagen for the whole of September and that would be a good time for reflection and (one presume's) completion of such a project.
Some typed corrections but overall VG+.
This proposed book was later realised underthe title of "DESCRIPTION DES 34 REGLES ET TECHNIQUES UTILISEES EN JUIN 1972 PAR UN ENFANT DE 9 ANS." An important letter.
JOINT:
A hand typed original envelope from Bergs Forlag with Boltanski's address on it but seemingly unused. VG.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1973.
16.5 x 13.5cm, 4pp. Artist card which shows a painting by Richard Demarco after a well known and loved slightly kitsch painting by Kate Greenaway of the same title that shows two young women cavorting in a tea cup. Finlay has had Demarco replace the women with a sailing boat (a calm). The Greenaway is a joke based on the saying "storm in a tea cup". This is a hugely popular card by Finlay which appeals to many who have no idea of any other work by the poet. VG+.
BR>...
Paris: Centre national d'art contemporaine, 1974
21 x 14cm, 48pp plus original wrappers. Artist's book which displays 310 b/w images of the claimed belongings of a young woman in Bois-Colombes (a suburb of Paris). The third of a number such artist's books surveying everything owned by an anonymous woman.
on this occasion it is known that some of the objects were those of both Boltanski's parents and Annette Messager's mothers - a fact that is not admitted in the book. This indicates that one might not quite trust the other similar books in their veracity about attribution.
In a foreword Boltanski notes that the project's past history with him writing to museums offering the project. VG+.
Reference Flay Boltanski Catalogue Page 106.
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Paris: Chorus, n.d. (1974)
24 X 18cm, 128pp plus pictorial covers. A single number of the art journal which alongside Boltanski are original contributions and articles on Annette Messager, Jacques Donguy, Jacques Monory and others.
Notable here are six pages by Boltanski which repeats his project displaying the supposed belongings of an anonymous person - here supposedly some living in Oxford, UK where the first exhibition of such an accumulation took place in 1973. VG+. Scarce publication.
Following Boltanski's contribution is a poem by Pierre Tilman entitled "Boltanski est" and after that Annette Messager has an original contrbution called "Quelque attitudes de femme extraites de quelques albums - collections par Annette Messager collectionneuse." which displays various found image of crying and fearful women, kissing couples, some cosmetic processes and cooking. There is a second prose poem by Tulman in his facsimile hand entitled "Annette, Christian, Jacques" as frontispiece which has a painting which shows Messager and a young somewhat handsome Boltanski. hugging.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1974
25.5 x 10.5cm, 12pp plus card covers and printed dustjacket. Artist's book after Robert Lax's style and typography - each page has a group of descending words (often hyphenated) - in order RICHT-HOFEN (in red) /REIN-HART (in black)/CRIM-SON/BLACK/then RICHT-HOFEN and REIN-HART then CRIM-SON and BLACK - the colours reflect the nickname of the Red Baron, and the minimalist black paintings of Reinhart, The combinations of the words changes the meaning of each page as subtle alterations to the word order infers new imagined images.
One the 5th page Finlay has noted that this proof has missed out a hyphen and he has written on that page thus, On the last colophon page has the word Proof written by Finlay in blue ink and the page is signed. VG+. An unique copy.
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Paris: n.p., 1974
100 x 75cm, hand applied gouache, oil crayon on black and white photograph. This was one of two works taken from the Saynètes comiques series issued as an edition. Boltanski pretended to take on different personalities as if in a Mummer play - here "the joker" laughing and shaking a stick (representing a joker's musical stick). Wearing an anachronistic suit and hat there is no effort taken in trying to make the work realistic - the artist pretending is the important aspect of the image.
Each example of this print was overpainted by Boltanski in gouache and oil crayon adding a further layer of "falseness" - the work is not a colour photograph but pretends to be.
One of 100 signed and numbered examples in VG+ condition. In glass and wood frame.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1973.
8.8 x 19.3cm, 2pp. Artist card with two drawings by Torok which consists of a pink and blue rectangle with horizontal lines denoted as landscape. The second square has the same colouring but has vertical stripes and is labelled Interior. The latter being an image of wallpaper and the former horizons and fields. VG+.
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München: Galerie Thomas, 1974, 14.8 x 21cm, 2pp announcement card for an "upcoming edition" of a book by Beuys which was already sold-out at the publisher (Heiner Bastian; distributed by Schellmann & Klüser) but offered here because the Galerie Thomas secured some copies" "available on a ‘first come, first served’ basis". One drawing of a stag by Beuys on the front with the lower part of the card and order form which was supposedly to be cut off and mailed to the gallery. A bit crumpled on the bottom else in VG+ condition....