IAN HAMILTON FINLAY

LETTERS + DOCUMENTS

A CARBON COPY OF A LETTER FROM FINLAY TO ALAN BOLD. 1982.

25 x 20cm, original carbon copy on typing paper dated 9.10.82.
A letter sent by Ian Hamilton Finlay to the Scottish poet Alan Bold in which Finlay adds a postscript to an earlier letter - Bold had written publicly that "Scotland is not Strathclyde Region or any of the other bureaucracies..."
This had clearly attracted Finlay's ire (and it was not helped by the fact that Bold was a friend of Hugh MacDiarmid with whom Finlay had fallen out with decades previously.
Finlay asks Bold "what aspect of Scotland you regard as Scotland?" and also "In your view, for example, would a member of the Scottish Arts Council Art Committee be entitled to wear The Kilt".
Signed in blue ink "Ian HF".

Alan Bold

ENVELOPE HAND ADDRESSED BY FINLAY WITH RUBBER STAMPINGS. 1982.

Little Sparta: Finlay, 1982
Standard hand addressed postal envelope to Harry Warschaver franked 9th October 1982. Notable for the black rubber stamp impression added by Finlay to the front: "Strathclyde Region for Nacht-und-Nebel" trans Strathclyde Region for Night and Fog. Return address stamping on back. Cleanly opened.

Harry Warschaver

A CARBON COPY OF A LETTER FROM FINLAY TO “HARRY”. 1982.

25 x 20cm, original TLS on Little Sparta stationery dated 16.10.82.
A letter sent by Ian Hamilton Finlay to "Harry" - presumably Harry Warschamer - telling the latter about the Warrant Sale planned at Little Sparta by Strathclyde Region to recoup their claimed rates on November 2nd 1982.
The letter asks for Warschamer to come and "bring others if you can" presumably to help resist the sale.
The letter also tells of the first "ALL-LATIN, ALL ROMAN LETTERING DEMO" by the Saint-Just Vigilanties outside the Scottish Arts Council HQ on October 19th.
Finlay also claims that all of his calls are "being monitored by the Special Branch" and "by Wednesday we may all be in prIson."
The letter is signed in blue ink "Ian".
The letterhead here is worth notice; it has at the bottom the motto: "SPARTA LONGA, LETTUCE BREVIS" which roughly is "Sparta is long, lettuce is short". Finlay's farm was called "Little Sparta".

ENVELOPE HAND ADDRESSED BY FINLAY WITH RUBBER STAMPINGS & CINDERELLA POSTAL STAMP.

Little Sparta: Finlay, n.d. (c. 1982)
Standard hand addressed DL manilla postal envelope to Harry Warschauer. Notable for the black rubber stamp impression added by Finlay to the front: "STRATHCLYDE REGION FOR NACHT-UND-NEBEL" and also a 3 x 2cm, b/w cinderella postal stamp designed by Finlay with an image of Joseph Stalin with the words "Strathclyde region" above and below and a fictitious price of 15p. Return address stamping on back. Slightly roughly opened. Interestingly the postal service has cancelled the cinderella stamps as well as the authentic stamp.

XEROX COPY OF A LETTER FROM THE KROLLER MULLER MUSEUM TO FINLAY. 1982.

Otterlo: Kroller Muller Museum, 1982
30 x 21cm, 1pp vintage xerox copy of a letter sent from the Director of the Kroller Muller Museum expressing support for Finlay after the issue of a warrant for the arrestment of works of art from Little Sparta. The Director indicates that he thinks such a sale will "endanger the existence" of Finlay's garden and calls on the garden to be "kept and protected as (Finlay's major opus".
The letter offers support by the purchase of a work to a maximum of £2000.
Circulated to friends of Little Sparta and the press as part of Finlay's PR campaign against the Regional Council.

XEROX COPY OF A LETTER FROM FINLAY TO THE STRATHCLYDE REGION SHERIFF OFFICER. 1982.

Little Sparta: Finlay, 1982
30 x 21cm, 2pp vintage xerox copy (on yellow paper) of a letter sent by Finlay to Alexander Walker, Strathclyde region's Sheriff Officer.
A bitterly sarcastic letter to Walker liking the latter's threat of a Warrant Sale to a nuclear threat and suggesting that they were determined to get their money by a "kind of extortion with menaces".
Finlay accuses him of cowardice - running away when it was clear there was more than "six sad Scotch standing by a nasty, brutish, short auction".
Finlay after much further and witty opprobrium towards the poor bureaucrat, argues that the law is being abused, that it's application is flexible and could easily be stopped if the Region wanted and hinting at wanting a reconciliation (which given the abuse in the letter seems hardly likely to be agreed upon.)
A copy of the original circulated to friends for the purpose of information as was Finlay's habit at this time.

XEROX COPY OF A LETTER FROM FINLAY TO THE MINISTER OF THE ARTS. 1982.

Little Sparta: Finlay, 1982
30 x 21cm, 2pp vintage xerox copy (on yellow paper) of a letter sent by Finlay to the then Minister of the Arts.
As often from Finlay bitterly biting letter to the Minister firstly complaining that he did not reply to letters. FInlay complains that the legally instituted Scottish Arts Council refuse to advise Strathclyde Region whether Finlay's disputed building is a temple or not.
Finlay notes that the SAC suggested that a committee should perhaps run Little Sparta rather than Finlay - Finlay in turn here suggests that "We, for our part, are entirely willing to declare ourselves a committee and run the SAC."
Finlay says that he does not expect a response to this letter but just wants to put on record his opposition to a proposed meeting between the region and the SAC. He also noted that the SAC refuses to talk to him unless through a solicitor because he had previously complained to the Arts Minister about their behaviour.
Finally Finlay writes: "The state is one of total stupidity and total complacency. The need is for a Revolution."
A copy of the original circulated to friends for the purpose of information as was Finlay's habit at this time.

ENVELOPE HAND ADDRESSED BY FINLAY WITH RUBBER STAMPINGS & CINDERELLA STAMP. NOV. 1982

Little Sparta: Finlay, franked: November 1982)
Standard hand addressed DL manilla postal envelope to Harry Warschauer. Notable for the black rubber stamp impression added by Finlay to the front: "STRATHCLYDE REGION FOR NACHT UND NEBEL" and cinderella stamp showing Joseph Stalin and the words "Strathclyde Region". The mailing process has franked the cinderella stamp! . Return address stamping on back. Slightly roughly opened.

Harry Warschaver

ENVELOPE HAND ADDRESSED BY FINLAY WITH RUBBER STAMPINGS. c. 1982

A COVERING LETTER TO THE PRESS. 1982. SIGNED BY FINLAY.

25 x 20cm, original carbon copy on typing paper. A letter sent by Finlay to members of the press "drawing their attention to the third and fifth paragraphs of the enclosed letter" .
This was the covering letter that accompanied a xerox letter from the Director of the Kroller Muller Museum in the Netherlands which gave support to Finlay (see separate listing in this section of the collection). Finlay points out that if an "poet has a Sacred Grove in Holland, the Region can 'take at face value his assertion that his garden temple is a spiritual building.'"
Finlay also quotes Priscus of Panium's History of His Own Times on the moral legitimacy of constitutions.

CARBON COPY OF LETTER FROM FINLAY TO THAMES AND HUDSON. 1982

30 x 21cm, 1pp original carbon copy on typing paper. A copy of a letter sent by Finlay to the publishing house Thames and Hudson.
Finlay claims that Thames and Hudson consider him to be anti-semite. He identifies this having arisen from Finlay submitting a book on Albert Speer's Spandau garden for publication. Finlay claims the publisher's stance is because of their "anti-Speerism" and Finlay says that recently deceased Albert Speer was a "dear friend". Finlay then posits a long and detailed argument that the publishers had entered the debate by stressing their jewishness when he had not. Finlay then attacks specifically Nikos Stangos who was an employee of T&H. Finlay claims he was initially enthusiastic about the Speer book then changed his mind suddenly. He is charged with acting unprofessionally and altering his position only after T&H rejected Finlay publicly.
Finally Finlay threatens legal action.
This is a difficult letter as Finlay's argument is a sophisticated one - on the surface attacking jewishness is evidence of being anti-semite but Finlay argues he only raised T&H jewish roots after they brought the public's attention to it and therefore it was an area of debate that was legitimate. The letter is borderline sophistry - it is clear that Finlay was not anti-semitic or nazi - but his willingness to defend people near to the National Socialist Party like Speer opened him up to attack. Some of those attacks were very biased and unfair (one can see deliberate misrepresentation in Catherine Millet for instance) but it is perhaps understandable how some might misunderstand Finlay's position.

LITTLE SPARTA DENOUNCES THIS WARRANT SALE. 4TH FEBRUARY 1983.

Little Sparta: Finlay, 4th February 1983
An original vintage xerox 30 x 21cm, 1pp campaign leaflet handed out by the Saint-Just Vigilantes during protests against the Warrant Sale of works taken from Finlay's Temple by Strathclyde region. Facsimile of Finlay's handwriting the text "despises that entertainment industry known as The Arts, all silent and absent, acquiescent art critics, all collaborating artists (Houston, Moffat, Morgan, etc) NEW NUREMBERGS AWAIT THEM, all unbureaucratic bureaucrats and their eccentric last stands on horrible Stalinist principles."
"Little Sparta supports: the right to live under present laws, the right to remain within Great Britain, the right to act in the light (and shade) of traditional Europe."
LITTLE SPARTA: AN IMAGINARY GARDEN WITH REAL POLICE"