06 Feb

Posted at 14:22h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Geneva: Edition Adelina Cuberyan, 1975
22.5 x 13cm, 22pp plus card covers. Artist's book released at the same time as an exhibition by Boltanski in the Centre d'Art Contemporain, Geneva.
The book is another produced during a period where Boltanski performed in public dressed slightly formally in suit and hat (bit looking vaguely dishevelled) with a ventriloquist's dummy of a young child which was meant to represent the young artist (with wild hair). The performances were comic re-inactions of parental (and grand- parental) activities from the earliest days - but, of course, only remembered through the eyes of a child - so the events are sometimes extreme - punishment, birthday gifts - or routine (the artist's mother cleaning the house).
In VG+ condition. Scarce.

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27 Jan

Posted at 09:59h in LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS

N.p. (Copenhague): Berg, 27 janvier 1975
29 x 21cm, original vintage carbon copy (on light green paper) of a signed letter from M. Berg to Boltanski.
The letter voluminously thanks Boltanski for his photograph and new year greetings. Berg tells the artist that there is always a room ready for him at his farm and he is looking forward to seeing him in March in Denmark.

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16 Oct

Posted at 11:19h in EPHEMERA

Rome: Cannaviello Studio d'arte, 1974

29.2 x 10.2cm, 1pp typographic announcement card for a group show in Italy with contributions by David Askevold, John Baldessari, Robert Cumming, Jochen Gerz, Peter Hutchison, Jean Le Gac, William Wegman and others to which Boltanski contributed. by 1974 Boltanski was regularly invited to major group shows and many of those being international events - this was only 9 years after his very first public outing.
There are some marks on the front of this card and it is a hand addressed mailed example with stamp and frank. Else VG.

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19 Sep

Posted at 20:33h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Munster: Westfalischer Kunstverein, 1974
22.2 x 16cm, 100pp plus card covers. Artist's book which coincided with a second museum exhibition by Boltanski in Munich within 18 months - this time the show being titled "Affiches, Accessoires, Decors, Documents photographiques".
The 49 photographs are all of Boltanski's comic performances in a suit pretending to be various parental and grand parental figures and sometimes the younger Boltanski. Sometimes the backgrounds are painted - further making the fact that the performance are theatrical and each group of photographs is preceded by a text with details of the "play". Texts including an essay by Klaus Honnef in German, French and English. VG+.

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17 Sep

Posted at 09:07h in LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS

Copenhague:Berg, 17 septembre 1974
29 x 21cm, 1pp. Original carbon copy of a typed and signed letter from M Berg thanking Boltanski for agreeing to publish an artist's book with the latter and John Hunov and that a maquette is being prepared for the project. He also thanks Boltanski for the invite card from Munster and says he will order the publication being released at that exhibitiion. VG+.
JOINT:
Copenhague:Berg, 17 septembre 1974
29 x 21cm, 1pp. Original carbon copy of a typed and signed letter from M Berg to Westfalischer Kunstverein requesting a copy of the exhibition catalogue/artist's book.

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04 Sep

Posted at 09:35h in LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS

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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28 Aug

Posted at 09:58h in EPHEMERA

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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28 Aug

Posted at 09:43h in LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS

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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10 Aug

Posted at 17:50h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

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.
BR>....

07 Aug

Posted at 20:52h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

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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26 Jul

Posted at 20:16h in PRINTS

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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19 May

Posted at 20:02h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Paris: Editions Georges Fall, 1974
22 x 16cm, 16pp (self cover). Artist's book which show objects from Annette Messager's first communion along with three photographs of a young girl (not Messager) preparing for the ceremony. The images are "representational" of the various objects and not the actual items used in Boltanski's partner's life. Each has an objective description below as if in a historical journal. Staples are a bit rusty else VG+. Scarce.

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