Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1976
15 x 10cm, 1pp. A line drawing by Laurie Clark of a ship steering towards the viewer with its name on the prow: it can be seen to be a model because of the large faucet to be found in the background.
Finlay was fond of making and playing with toy boats from early in his career. VG+.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1976
11.3 x 16.6cm, 1pp. A photograph by Carl Heideken shows an actual chocolate soldier marching while carrying a heavy gun. Finlay equates this to the German Panzergrenadier who were the basic troops of the Panzergrenadiertruppe, their uniforms were often brown, famously the enlisted men were given chocolate bars (Scho-Ka-Kola) as part of their "Front Fighting Packages" when supplies arrived.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1986
29.6 × 50.4cm, blue-grey on white silkscreen with a reproduced painting by John Borg Manduca of an aircraft carrier seen from a vantage point of the sea level which makes its size seem vast. There is also enclosing a separate sheet of tracing paper bearing the colophon information and Finlay's handwritten signature in ink.
The full quotation: ‘At the field's edge, on the vertiginous cliff-top, stood a solitary hut’ and clearly describes the greatness of such a vessel. We are not clear on the origin of the quote - please do let us know if you can identify it.
One of 300 signed and numbered copies. VG.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1976.
15 x 10.5cm, 2pp. A photograph by Carl Heideken of a Oerlikon cannon below which the word LYRE has been added by Finlay. On the reverse of the card there is a Hereclitian quotation from Edward Hussey's book on the PreSocratics: "Applied to a lyre, harmone might refer to the structure of the unstrung lyre, or to that of the strung lyre whether tuned or not, or to that of the lyre tuned in a particular mode."
Visually an Oerlikon cannon's ammunition looks somewhat like the strings of a harp (lyre) so Finlay sees a visual correspondence between the gun and the musical instrument (both also make noise) and the classical quote notes the synthesis of the visual beauty of the weapon/instrument with its function. VG+.
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NYC: n.p., 1976
20.5 x 25.2cm, b/w silver gelatine original photograph of a man (probably a journalist) looking at the newly purchased Ian Hamilton Finlay work "STARLIT WATERS" which the Tate Gallery in London had recently purchased.
A press photograph with extensive text on the reverse intended by the journalist used for a "shock horror" story about the purchase.
The work had been bought only 6 months after the "fire brick scandal" (actually a major press made up story about the Tate buying an extreme minimalist work by Carl Andre which consisted of 144 bricks) so this image was an attempt by a journalist to recreate that public outrage at perceived mis-use of public funds. Of course, the journalist was either just being opportunist or stupid.
Very good condition. Not unique as copies were sent to various newspaper. Photographer unknown.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1986
38 × 26.4cm, two part red and black silkscreen on transparent paper and white paper respectively with a drawing by David Button of of three World War I warships - INVINCIBLE. INFLEXIBLE. INDEFATIGABLE’. The overlay sheet adds red diagonal strokes - the poles which held the ships’ torpedo nets - along each hull.
With the subtitle being Homage to Agam, the work is a visual pun paintings by the Israeli artist Yaacov Agam who created optical art (OpArt) works using stripes and diagonals.
The outer card folder notes this is one of only 150 copies produced. This is an unsigned copy. VG in like folder.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1976
41 x 53cm lithograph in two colours on paper - German war plane markings are arranged as if by the Dutch master. Mondrian's decision to limit his formal vocabulary to the three primary colours, the three primary values and the two primary directions (horizontal and vertical) meant he created works that looked like grids. In particular this work reflects the drawn composition Jetty and Ocean from 1915 where in b/w Mondrian creates a work with many crosses. One of 350 released. Very slight crease bottom right but overall VG.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d. (1976) 15.3 x 15.3cm, blue on white ceramic tile with a design by Jim Downie (who later fell out with Finlay by the way the image had been used) - the text reads "TREE-SHELLS. Instructions: Apply ear to Tree-Shell. Listen for lakes." This is a green on white variant - there are also blue on white tiles....
London: Coracle Press, n.d. (1976?)
10.5 x 13.5cm, 4pp (folded at top) announcement card for this show created from loans of works not necessarily with Finaly's permission. One "constellation" work is reproduced on the front: a peach an apple from Rapel, 1963. Internally gallery details. There is a paper scuff on the internal left of the card which affects the gallery details else VG. A very scarce card.
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Edinburgh: Graeme Murray Gallery, 1976
18 x 13.5cm, 12pp plus card covers. A short essay on the title work by Stephen Scobie. VG+.
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Osaka: s.p. (Mieko Shiomi), 1976
21x 27.2cm, 72pp and pictorial wrappers. A major documentation by the Fluxus affiliated artist Mieko Shiomi where she wrote to participants the world over to create nine "global events" between 1965 and 1975. Each section has the original request and often a map showing the individual artist's response to Shiomi's letter.
A nice book to which Finlay contributed thus:
Spatial Poem No. 1 Word event 4 - "funnelwhelk" on the mantelpiece in the kitchen of Richard Morgan's house (known as eastview") Strathmiglo Fine, Scotland;
Spatial Poem No. 2 Direction event 4 - a concrete poem:
north south
no moon
fish pond
hot milk
in Ardgay, Scotland
After that Finlay did not involve himself in the later global events.
VG+ example of an increasingly difficult to find book.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d. (1976)
15.3 x 15.3cm, yellow on white ceramic tile with a typographic design - the text A ROSE IS A ROSE IS A ROSE" (Shakespeare presumably) is printed along with the name Gertrude Jekyll - a turn of the century British horticulturist and garden designer. This is a yellow on white variant - there are also pink and red versions also on white tiles.
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