Munchen: Gina Kehayoff Verlage, 1996
21 x 14cm, 64pp plus card covers. Artist's book consisting of 62 b/w photographic images of 31 people showing both younger and older selves opposite each other on each two pages. Minimal text in German. VG+.
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Stuttgart: Oktagon Verlag, 1995
17 x 13.5cm, 32pp which include 23 full colour 8.7 x 12.5cm "Kodak" photographs loosely tipped onto blank pages plus title page and colophon. Padded orange boards with foil stamped title. First edition of this artist's book which was designed to look like a family photographic album.
The photographs purport to be souvenirs of a family holiday at Berck-Plage in August 1975 and have the over bright colours found in the colour stock of the time - and an over saturated colour pallet that Boltanski has used in some of his mid-career photographic studies.
As with all of Boltanski's work one is left unsure if the images are genuinely from the artist's family records or found from some other vintage source?
This is one of 500 signed and numbered copies in pencil on the colophon by the artist. The series of Oktagon artist's books was edited by Hans-Ulrich Obrist who has since worked several times with Boltanski including the series of "Take Me I'm yours" exhibitions from the late 90s. VG+ condition.
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Wien: Kunsthalle Wien, 1995
26.5 x 21cm, 120pp). Original card covers. Artist's book displaying 110 b/w full page images sourced from items stolen by the Nazis from Jews and now in the archive of the Jewish Museum in Prague, the objects claimed to be from a woman in Baden-Baden, clothing from Francois C and objects supposedly found i the sewers of Zurich (the latter three images can be found in earlier publications by Boltanski). None are labelled individually although the groupings are mentioned at the end of the book. Released during the exhibition "Menschlich" in the Kunsthalle Wien. VG+
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Wien: Kunsthalle Wien, 1995
28 x 24cm, 158pp. Original card covers. Artist's book listing all of the artists to take part in the Venice Biennale during the first 100 years including Boltanski. VG+
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Halifax: Yorkshire Sculpture Park, 1995
29 x 24.5cm, 68pp plus boards and cloth spine. Artist's book which lists the names of all the workers at Dean Clough, Halifax between the years of 1877-1982 at which point the carpet factory failed and all were made redundant - hence "lost". There are 3,437 names in no particular order.
Near mint condition.
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Venice: S.N.E., Sans Lieu, 1995
27.5 x 24cm, 154pp plus typographic wrappers. Published during the artist's intervention in the Venice Biennale this artist's book lists all of the names of others officially participating in the Biennale since 1895 to 1995. Afterword (really just thanking people) by Jean Clair and a small b/w image of the main Pavilion building at the Gardini. VG+.
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Malmo: Malmo Konsthall, 1993,br.
27 x 21.5cm, 1290pp plus original wrappers. Plus 27 x 21.5cm, 8pp printed insert. Artist's book which appropriated a telephone book from the Swedish city Malmo which Boltanksi placed a printed label on the front cover. Inside he circled an area of the district map using felt-tipped pen and additionally added an addendum of names and addresses and numbers as a separate insert which claims "You cannot call these inhabitants of Malmo, they died in 1993".
This book is one of only 25 signed copies (on the inside cover) aside from the unsigned edition of 400 issued during the exhibition "Christian Boltanski" in Malmo. The book is in original mailing box sent to M. Berg.
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Dublin/Glasgow: CCA and Tramway, Glasgow, 1994
25.5 x 37cm. embossed folio-folder with ribbon-tie, content of four texts (50 pp. combined), each housed in individual vari-colored folder, a single glossy offset sheet of 64 photo-based b/w images (housed in vari-colored folder), two sets of 24 b/w photo-based card images (2 x 6 cm., respectively) and 5 b/w photo-postcards documenting the title installation as wel as an image of the Mackintosh Library at Glasgow School of Arts+ contents sheet. Additionally there are five sets of bound "clocking-in" cards for supposed workers who were later, it is hinted at, were made redundant.
First issue of this intriguing assemblage multiple by Boltanski, after a project which was exhibited in Dublin and Glasgow. A poignant and provocative work. All elements intact (many online examples are missing the postcards) and in fine estate in like folio-folder.
One included item was an appropriated photographic postcard (originally by Bedford Lemere in 1910) of the Mackintosh Library at Glasgow School of Art alongside the other documents which related to lost things. Obviously Boltanski was not to know it would be "lost" itself in time when it burned down in 2014 almost 20 years later.
Scarce thus - many of the folders were lost in a warehouse water accident from the original printing of 500 sets (and many of the remainders bought as a job lot by Paul Robertson when the Glasgow CCA decided to sell off their bookshops stock.
The work is full of ironies.
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Aachen: Thouet Verlag and Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König. 1994.
26.7 x 20.8cm, 980pp (approx.). Artist's book which reproduces 975 black and white appropriated photographs of mostly faces (although there are group images also) randomly assembled from the vast collection of such images the artist had collected since the 1970s. As such the near 1,000 pictures are meant to represent mankind - with no information about the subjects whatsoever. In many ways Boltanski's objective recording of such anonymous people reflects a view of history and life that has no judgement - in fact, no morality - as one does not know if the person one is looking at is villain or hero, victim or predator, alive or dead (although probably dead given the statistics of life).
This is regarded as one of Boltanski's most important artist's books although it is really a summary of all that he had done before in this realm of appropriation photography.
The book has the following tale as a sort of foreword in German:
"Der große Rabbi von Lodz lag im Sterben,
umgeben von seinen Anhängern.
Der Jüngste , Benjamin , wollte dem Sterbenden
noch eine letzte Frage stellen . Er fragte ihn : „ Was ist das Leben ?
“ Der große Rabbi antwortete : „ Das Leben!
Das Leben ist eine Quelle.“
Dieser Satz wurde von den Anwesenden
mit großer Zufriedenheit
und Respekt aufgenommen,
mit Ausnahme von Benjamin,
der erwiderte : „ Was ? Das Leben ist eine Quelle?
“ Da hörte man den großen Rabbi sagen: „ Was ?
Das Leben ist keine Quelle?
“ Das waren seine letzten Worte."
Which we translate as:
The great Rabbi of Lodz was dying
surrounded by his followers.
The youngest, Benjamin, wanted the dying man
ask one last question. He asked him, “What is life? "
The great rabbi replied:" Life!
Life is a source.“
That sentence was spoken by those in attendance
received with great satisfaction and respect,
with the exception of Benjamin, who replied, “What? Is life a source?"
Then one heard the great rabbi say:" What?
Life is not a source? “Those were his last words.
Boltanski's ambiguity to the fate or having more knowledge of the subjects of these images is reflected in that tale.
There are some issues with condition of this copy - the front cover has been bent vertically and some pages are a little badly folded internally due to poor printing but overall it is just under VG. Now scarce.
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Barcelona: Fundació Espai Poblenou, 1994
21 x 15cm, 90pp plus typographic wrappers. An artist's book containing a list of calls made to the Barcelona police from 7 to 13 April 1994 organised by time and date and including the reason for the call (including deaths to someone reporting that snow is falling in a district). A number of the "daily reports" are translated into English at the back of the book. VG+.
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Munich/Stuttgart (St. Gallen): Octogan Verlag, 1993
18 x 12cm, 12pp plus card covers. Artist's book displaying six photographs of meals - each image being brightly coloured and fully saturated to make the posed images seem other-worldly and to emphasis their "fakery". The images resemble those used on restaurant menu boards.
This is one of 400 copies found in "World Soup" - this was Hans Ulrich Obrist's first ever curated exhibition and had major contributions by Hans Peter Feldmann, Roman Signer, Paul-Armand Gette, Fischli and Weiss, Richard Wentworth, C.O. Paeffgen, Frederic Bruly Bouabre. And each like Boltanski included an original publication or print to the catalogue which was published in only 400 copies.
Additionally there was a 30 x 21cm, 16pp pluys card covers general catalogue for the show which each artist provided a page contribution to - Bolanski showed two colour photographs of a kitchen cupboard but the second image has had a candle photo-manipulated into the image.
A rare publication - and this example has the Boltanski booklet signed on the first page in ink. All VG+ in like folder.
Reference: Calle Boltanski Artist's Books Page 77
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Monchengladbach: Stadtischen Museum Abteiberg Monchengladbach, 1993
21 x 14cm, 96pp plus original typographic card covers. Artist's book listing the acquisitions by all of the art museums of the Rhineland during the years 1935 - 1945. The various museums included here have the artists and their works listed by alphabetic order. Some works are reproduced in b/w.
The decade chosen by Boltanski includes the pre-Nazi years until the end of the war and it is noticeable that there are few if any avant garde works purchased/acquired (the Nazis after all campaigned against "degenerate art" and this presumably was reflected in the acquisitions policy of the museums - most of the works are realistic landscapes and figurative portraits and statuary.
VG+. This example is signed by Boltanski on the first title page.
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