02 Jun

Posted at 10:20h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Oxford: Museum of Modern Art. 1973
18 x 11cm, 8pp (self cover). An early artist's book which shows 52 small b/w images of what is claimed to be the belongings of a woman (it is not clear if she is dead or alive) from "hankerchiefs to cupboards". This is one of the artist's first "arxhive projects" where a life is displayed through the things owned by an individual.
In a note at the end Boltanski explains that he had written to a number of museums to initiate such a project - to show the things owned by an anonymous person with "concerning themselves with such things as classification and labelling" - most refused however Peter Ibsen at the Museum of Modern Art in Oxford agreed to the show and this book both is the documentation, catalogue and artist's publication from that event. VG+.

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10 Apr

Posted at 18:57h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Frankfurt: AQ Photos supplement, 1973
22.5 x 14cm, 6pp (single folded sheet). A supplement to the AQ artist's journal entirely dedicated to five b/w images of Boltanski playing the role of his parents in posed photographs. The supplement was a publicity brochure for the journal but it is effectively a Boltanski artist's book. To our knowledge this is not referenced in any catalogue raisonne. VG+. Scarce.

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19 Mar

Posted at 21:25h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

London: Studio International Ltd, 1973
30.5 x 24.5cm, 160pp plus card covers. Single number of the long running and very important art journal - to which Boltanski has added a page work (taken from the book of the same title) of a child making a paper airplane. Offered as part of a section on contemporary French art. Some wear to spine and glue beginning to weaken after nearly 50 years. Else VG.

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07 Feb

Posted at 09:14h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Paris: Gallery du Tournesol, 1973
24.5 x 17cm, 8pp artist's book printed black on cream card with four original lithographs of drawings with text by Romero and a short text "Manuel du Voyager" (travel diary) written by Jean Jacques Leveque.
Additional to that on the third page there is an original contribution by Boltanski which is relatively unknown - two photographs of a mother and father with a child and below is the text written by Boltanski (our translation):
"The two photographs must have been taken on the same day and almost in the same place. The little boy in the two pictures must be three or four years old, the sun is shining, the man and the woman look serious and sad, there are ceramic tiles on the steps and a large stone pot in which is planted a tree. The woman is young and beautiful, the man is dressed in white (he stands straight as if at attention). You think you can make out a house. in the picture on the right, the little boy seems to be singing.
Behind the photograph on the left is written in pencil "with my father Seville 1934", behind the one on the right "with my mother Sevilla 1934"
For Juan Romero and his parents whose names I don't know. Christian Boltanski, Mai 1972."

It is not clear if these photographs are really of Romerpo and his parents or a fiction. Romero was a friend of Boltanski's who had organised exhibitions by the former at the same gallery when Boltanski was the director (it was founded by his mother). This contribution is not mentioned in any catalogue raisonne that we know of and is relatively forgotten.
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10 Aug

Posted at 18:38h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Paris: Edition Multiplicata, 1972
21 x 13.5cm, 20pp plus card wrappers. First edition of this artist's book that supposedly shows ten different portraits of the younger Boltanski from the age of 3 to age 20. All but the last of the children photographed are not Boltanski but friends and relatives (Christophe Boltanski the artist's nephew is one of the models) and were all taken by Annette Messager on a single day inJuly 1972. The last image is of Boltanski supposedly at 20 years of age but when the photograph was taken he was 28. Yet another example of the fictionalism of the artist's work - history is erroneous and cannot be trusted. Nor can artists although on the back page the date of the photography is revealed so at least the deception was only temporary for the careful reader. VG+ condition.
Referenced in Flay Christian Boltanski Catalogue 1992, Page 74.

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07 Jul

Posted at 21:05h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Hamburg/Paris: Grossman Verlag/Edition Sonnabend, 1972
20.8 x 14.6cm, 32pp plus card covers. Thirty-two b/w images of the adult artist recreating his early life as a young child with descriptions which ignore the fact that Boltanski is not a child. The photographs were all taken by Annette Messager. This is one of 500 copies published. The cover has a couple of brown marks (possible foxing) else VG+.
JOINT:
Two 19 x 12.5cm, 1pp b/w inserts with English and French translations of the legends.

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19 Feb

Posted at 13:23h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Berlin: AQ Verlag, n.d (1972)
20 x 20.7cm, unpaginated (c. 112pp) plus pictorial wrappers. A single number of this photographic and art journal - here Boltanski has two original contributions - 10 SCENES DE LA VIE ENFANTINE DE CHRISTIAN BOLTANSKI INTERPRETEE LE 12 JUIN 1971 PAR FRANCOISE GUINIOU ET LET PETITS JEAN ET MARTINE and ESSAI DE RECONSTITUTION DES 46 JOURS QUE PRECEDERENT LA MORT DE FRANCOISE GUINIOU (EXTRAITS). Neither to our knowledge is reproduced elsewhere. The former being six b/w images of children acting out scenes from Boltanski's supposed memories. The second the same photographs and more displayed as contact prints from a film role. One is expected (one presumes) to see the latter as the documentation of the previous project and that Francoise Guiniou somehow died soon after the photoshoot.
There are other original pageworks by Paul-Armand Gette, Jean Le Gac, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Jochen Gerz and Anthony McCall.
Not in any catalogue raisonne.

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17 May

Posted at 17:32h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Paris: Opus International, 1971
27 x 18cm, 136pp plus card covers. A single number of this art journal which has an original Boltanski pagework - Recit-Souvenir - a text with three associated photographs.
The text typed by Boltanski gives a history of the artist's grandparents and how they come to live in Paris.
The photographs claim to be of the grandmother aged 3, a samovar that she supposedly stole from her house when she ran away from Odessa to be with David Boltanski (the grandfather) and a modern photograph of the house they lived in. As ever the veracity of all of that information is impossible to be sure of. VG although the glue in the perfect binding has started to peel after nearly 50 years.
Reference: Flay Catalogue Page 56.

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08 May

Posted at 19:32h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Malmo: New Eter, 1971
29 x 23cm, printed envelope content of five internal loose sheets -- each 27 x 21.5. 1pp. The Boltanski contribution is a printed offset image of the adult artist bending over showing here his bed was situated in his room for the first nine years of this life.
Other sheets have original contributions by Paul-Armand Gette (Photograph of a tree stump and its exact location), le Gac - a written text, and Ben Vautier - an original found photograph of women practicing fencing which is stamped Ben Vautier certifies this to be a work of Flux Art (each copy had a different photograph). The final sheet is a colophon with a business card stapled to the card sheet and nothing else.
All fine although there is a slight mark from the staple on the colophon on Boltanski's contribution - all in VG+ envelope. A scarce item. Reference: Flay Boltanski Catalogue Page 54.

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23 Mar

Posted at 10:34h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Paris: Sonnabend Gallery, 1971
22 x 13.5cm, 8pp (self cover). The artist's fifth book which has an alternative title: "ESSAIS DE RECONSTITUTION D'OBJETS AYAN APPPARTENU A CHRISTIAN BOLTANSKI ENTRE 1948 ET 1954". The book consists of 45 examples of objects from his childhood that Boltanski has tried to recreate in a variety of methods - they are mostly in text description but there are four small b/w images of some of the items. The items are mostly in clay or similar modelling materials and shown in metal drawers as if in an exhibition.
An important book which reflects Boltanski's interest in metal storage and the authority that such placements give to the objects. In VG condition but with some rust on staples.
JOINT:
Hand addressed envelope by Boltanski sent to M. Berg in Copenhagen. Franked printed stamp.
Referenced in Flay Boltanski Catalogue Page 48.

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08 Nov

Posted at 20:58h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Paris: Sonneband Gallery, 1970 21 x 15cm, 16pp (self cover). First edition of this artist's book with eight b/w images of Boltanski pretending to be a young child playing in various guises - sliding down the stairs on a mattress, crying, having a pillow fight, getting ready to eat, sliding down the bannister of stairs, playing with a water pistol and entering the class room. Each was taken by his friend Sarkis.
In this book Boltanski for the first time tries to recapture his early childhood but knows full well that he must fail.
Staples rusty else VG+. This was Boltanski's fourth artist's book.
JOINT WITH:
Brown hand addressed envelope sent to M Berg and dated 14.12.70.
Referenced in Flay Boltanski Catalogue Page 42. It is work noting that we hold the original photograph taken by Sarkis and used for the "pillow fight" page.

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07 Sep

Posted at 20:33h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Paris: Chorus, 1970
24 X 18cm, 80pp plus pictorial covers. A single number of the art journal which alongside Boltanski are original contributions and articles on Arman, Jean Le Gac, Henri Calet and others.
Notable here are four pages by Boltanski - a b/w photograph of the artist lying on the ground of a back garden as if he has died. The same photograph is shown four times but each time showing more and more of the body in close up.
Thematically this touches on the same interest in accidents and death that the artist had explored in some of his earliest works (which described false accounts of a fatal accident). VG+. Scarce publication.

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