11 May

Posted at 10:20h in Page Works & Contributions

Sceaux: Cinquieme Saison, 1965
27 x 26cm folder with a typographic cover designed by Henri Chopin (who was also the publisher and editor) and content of bound in artworks by Francois Dufrene, Jean-Jacques Leveque. Gabriel Paris, Dora Feilane, Henri Chopin, Serge Beguier, Gianni Bertini, Francoise Saint-Thibault, Laura Sheleen, John Giorno, Brion Gysin, Bernard Heidsieck, Les Aelys, Paul-Armand Gette, Alain Jouffroy, Jean-Clarence Lambert and Rodolfo Krasno. No record was included in this special number of OU released for the Biennale.
Finlay contributs one work which was not bound in but rather left loose in the pages so is often missing - STANDING POEM 2. (APPLE/HEART 2) from 1965. This is exactly the same card as the standing poem the Wild Hawthorn Press published and sold separately - one presumes Finlay just extended the print run.

One of 475 hand numbered examples on offset satin (after 50 de tete or Hors Commerce copies). One mark on cover and a diagonal crease but internally VG+ with VG++ Finlay card..

...

15 Apr

Posted at 16:07h in Poor Old Tired Horse + Broadsides

Ardgay, Ross-shire; Wild Hawthorne Press, 1965
33 x 12cm, 8pp. The seventeenth number of Finlay’s poetry publication - this number dedicated to a single concrete poem by Robert Lax and with drawings by Emil Antonucci. VG+ condition Scarce.
This was an unusual format number of the poetry journal in part caused by the format of the Lax poem which needed more vertical space than traditional works.

...

20 Mar

Posted at 13:55h in Poor Old Tired Horse + Broadsides

Ardgay, Ross-shire; Wild Hawthorne Press, 1965
26 x 21cm, 8pp. The sixteenth number of Finlay’s poetry publication with contributions by Pierre Albert-Birot (translated by Barbara Wright), Enrique Uribe, Francis Ponge (translated by D.M. Black), Ernst Jandl, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Eli Siegel, Tristan Tzara (translated by John Adlard), Herman Hesse (translated by Lesley Lendrum), Barry Cole, Jonathan Williams, Edward Wright and Spike Hawkins. The entire number was designed by hand with woodcuts and hand-written typography by Edward Wright. VG+ condition Scarce.

...

16 Mar

Posted at 21:17h in Miscellany

Ardgay: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1965
33 x 20.3cm, 1pp offset lithographic price list for the Press. Mentions books by Augusto de Campos, Turnbuil, Jonathan Williams, Edwin Morgan and others as well as POTHs and Finlay. Also notes the move from 24 Fettes Row, Edinburgh to Gledfield Farmhouse, Ardgay, Ross-shire. Former folds, some edge wear and a couple of small tears and some vintage ink annotations to the text else VG+.

...

15 Mar

Posted at 18:09h in Artist's Postcards

Edinburgh: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d. (1965)
20.3 x 13cm, printed 1pp. Folded on both sides allowing the card to stand as intended. The inner images are of an apple in red with a black stalk which metamorphoses step by step into a heart. Alongside that graphical change the word LOVE slowly emerges also first with a l then LO then LOV then LOVE. On each step the letter shapes added have some similarities with the red apple shape changing - for example the V in love appears as the top of the round apple indents in a V shape as part of the way to the final image. This is then mirrored by a second exact group of images and text in parallel.
The previous standing card (Standing Card 1) involved a pear appearing and disappearing - here an apple has a similar fate. In a simple card expressing love is a depth of metaphor and physical similarities. Like much of the best of Finlay the work has multiple readings.
This is a scarce card - Murray in his flawed catalogue raisonne claims it as the third ever card published but it is more probably the fifth if one includes the earlier typescript from 1963 in this collection. VG+ condition.

...

26 Feb

Posted at 12:58h in Letters + Documents

20 x 12.5cm, typescript on yellow paper. A letter sent by Susan Swan to a potential client offering price lists and mentioning the "new series" of large prints or as Sue Finlay writes: "visual creations that fall into a visual category" that the press is publishing. "We hope they will eventually be a series representative of international contemporary visual and concrete poems." Signed in blue ink....

16 Feb

Posted at 21:10h in Miscellany

Edinburgh: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1965
Two 25 x 20.1cm, 1pp sheets stapled top left) offset lithographic price list for the Press. Mentions the various book and nrs of POTH plus prints including Pierre Albert-Birot. Franz Mon, Ferdinand Kriwet and John Furnival as well as Finlay. Each is 5/-. Former fold else and some red ink period notes on the first page else VG+.

...

15 Jan

Posted at 13:32h in Poor Old Tired Horse + Broadsides

Edinburgh; Wild Hawthorne Press, 1965
26 x 21cm, 4pp + 2 x 1pp inserts. The thirteenth number of Finlay’s poetry publication with contributions by John Furnival, Mary Ellen Solt, Guillaume Apollinaire (translated by J.F. Hendry), Marvin Malone, Lorine Niedecker, Jerome Rothenberg, Ronald Johnson, Ian Hamilton Finlay, and Nicole Rabetaud. VG+ condition but slight mark on the back.
This is one of the earliest collaborations with Furnival who would be a close friend (until Finlay asked him to punch someone for him who he felt had slighted him and was about to arrive at Furnival's house from the train and the latter reasonably refused leading to a breach between them - a tale told to me by Furnival himsel) .

...

14 Dec

Posted at 21:26h in Artist's Postcards

Edinburgh: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1964
14 x 16cm, 4pp (folded single card). This card is 1965 (as can be attested by the franking on the envelope and not 1964 as Murray's very flawed catalogue raisonne has it). According to Murray this was Finlay's second published card but we have examples of other cards from before this time that Murray did not know about - but this is early nonetheless and part of Finlay's habit of producing bespoke Xmas cards for friends. This card simply has the title words on the front - each centred around the middle line. A religious reference to the crib but also to the way a heavenly star will often be seen to have a shimmer surrounding it - again one might imagine a reference to a crown (from an attending King perhaps?).
An extremely hard card to find - we have seen only 3 examples in 20 years and it took us that same amount of time to find one for this collection. One small tear to the card on the right from being poorly opened in the envelope, internally this is signed "Happy Christmas from Ian" and is with the original postal envelope hand addressed by Finlay to Fred Hunter.

...

14 Dec

Posted at 16:23h in Artist's Postcards

Edinburgh: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d. (1964)
16.3 x 27.9cm, 1pp. Printed blue and orange on off white card. An extremely early Xmas card sent out privately by Finlay to friends and associates. The work is a concrete poem which contains recognisable early themes by the poet - the words all relate to the experience of commercial but small scale night time fishing in Scotland - the nets, the star, the fish all can be found in the shape of a constellation (later similar works build on this idea). This card on the back has a handwritten greeting "Happy Christmas to Victor (Vaserely) from Ian" and the date 1964. The latter is important because else this card is unknown in the literature and the date would be unknown.
Former folded in the middle and some stains but this is a rarity amongst Finlay artist postcards.

...

Shopping cart0
There are no products in the cart!
Continue shopping