THE REBEL ENCOMIA FOR ANTHONY HANDCOCK. 2002. ONE OF 666 NUMBERED.

London: Institutum Pataphysicum Londiniense, n.d. (2002)

30 x 21cm, 48pp plus card covers. First edition of this ‘pataphysical book written in the English language (a rarity for the French college which despite international links and membership almost always utilises the French language in part from nationalism and, in part, due to French being the language of the sainted Alfred Jarry).

This book with a foreword by Stanley Chapman has contributions by Stewart Hume, Alistair Brochie, Ray Galton, Magnus Irvin, Robert Irwin, Alan SImpson and Andrew Wilson. The main thrust is to take the famous (and genuinely hilarious) modern art parody film The Rebel by Hancock and treat it as a documentary. Essays explain the significance of Hancock (“Warhol before Warhol”) and Alistair Brochie and friends recreates the original paintings from the film as a catalogue raisonne of Hancock’s work (I once met Brochie in a theatre workshop in Covent garden painting a 40 foot high and 60 foot wide mountain background painting for The Producers – this would have been the equivalent of working in miniature for him I would suggest). The paintings are reproduced in a series of colour reproductions in the middle pages. One of 666 numbered copies and an utter delight. Fine.