San Diego: Stuart Collection University of California, 1987
21 x 15cm, 4pp card for the installation of a new work by Finlay at the university UNDA. Unda is Latin for Wave and the work is sculptural. In the middle pages of the card a Finlay work (with Gary Hincks) is reproduced - it is not the same work as installed but the inscription at the bottom of the card is the same as the work on stone. VG+.
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Saint-Ettienne: La Mason de la Culture et de Communication de Saint-Ettiene, 1987
18 x 12cm, 42pp plus wrappers. Artist's book issued also as the catalogue for the solo exhibition. The book shows the photograph "Classe Terminale du Lycee Chases en 1931 Castelgasse Vienne" on the title page followed by enlargements of each of the faces of the children (not the teacher) - one each on a page. The final page of the book is an installation view showing the photographs displayed on the walls each with a lamp light above it.
We explain this work elsewhere. This example is signed in pencil on the title page. VG+.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1986
18.3 x 12cm, 20pp and card covers along with flower pattern dust jacket and printed tipped on label. The full title of the book is "Detached Sentences on Weather In The Manner of William Shenstone".
Shenstone was not only an 18th century poet but also an influential early estate gardener. The texts are a series of aphorisms by Finlay which are presumably in the style of the earlier poet and all consider the importance of the weather - a subject very important to both gardeners and British people. Two examples of these sayings are:
"The Late Night Shipping Forecast is a kind of High Church Weather Service for radio listeners."
Or
"The Greeks before Troy feared hostile weather as much as hostile Trojans."
One of only 200 such books printed at Christmas as presents to friends and colleagues. Two small vignettes by Jo Hincks. VG+.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1986
12.4 x 18.6cm, 4pp Christmas card black on handmade paper with the text:
Somewhere in the wood was shining the
little red lantern of Christmas...
Cambridge: Kettle's Yard, 1986
21 x 15cm, 56pp. Original wrappers . An exhibition catalogue for a show of artist's books which included Christian Boltanski, Annette Messager, John Latham, Anslem Kiefer and Finlay amongst others. Short texts on each artist. This is more notable however for the bound in 14 x 8cm, 8pp original artist's book by Finlay (which was also published elsewhere by the Wild Hawthorn Press) - Two Billows - from 1980. The blue booklet has on one side of the centre pages the text: "greeness, leaf or bark: and on the other "greeness, leaf or barque" - this changes the image from a tree being blown around to that of a boat being pushed by the wind. We are placing this item in the Page Works & Contributions section but it could be equally be found in artist's books or exhibition catalogues. VG+.
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Paris: Association Francaíse d`Action Artistiqu, 1986
19.5 x 13cm, 256pp plus wrappers. First edition of this artist's book published during the 42e Biennale de Venise. There are 110 b/w images of various faces taken from Boltanski's collection of found portraits and group shots which are presented without any background information at all although they were all exhibited in the associated exhibition in Venice in the usual manner of the artist (with lights and various trappings of religious monuments). There is a preface in French, English and Italian by Suzanne Pagé. Slight faint stains on front cover else VG+. Scarce.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1986
Original printed folder 64.5 × 42.5cm, content of nine poster prints, each of 64 x 42cm, 1pp. A colophon/title page is joined by eight textual sheets with quotations from the speeches of Louis-Antoine Saint-Just, interspersed with aphorisms by Finlay composed as "Imaginary Speeches for the revolutionary". The portfolio was published on the occasion of the exhibition "L'Art et le Sacre Aujourd hui" at the Cistercian Abbey in L'Epau, France, where the texts were intended to be installed on four columns inside the abbey building. During the heroic anti-clericalism of the French revolution the Abbey was transformed into something far more useful - an agricultural outbuilding surrounded by gardens.
This is both a print portfolio but also a proposal for an architectural installation - hence we have placed it in the the appropriate section here which in fairness to Murray he also places it as 6.20.
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London:British Museum Publications, 1986
24 x 19cm, 64pp plus card covers. Exhibition catalogue displaying a range of contemporary British medals. Finlay produced 6 different medals all of which are reproduced in b/w with details. VG+.
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London: Victoria Miro Gallery, 1986
21 x 10.5cm, 42pp announcement card for a solo show. This card has two drawings - one each side - by Gary Hincks that is not reproduced anywhere else as far as we know. The plinth on one side shows a republican rosette with ribbons left with the words "A DAVID. MARAT". The second drawing is of the back of the same plinth but with gallery details over it. David, of course, painted the famous death of Marat painting, here Marat returns the favour with a simple tribute on the stone.
This is strictly an exhibition invite but it also could be regarded as an artist's card which was not released or categorised as such by Finlay. After some consideration we have left it as an announcement. VG+.
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Little Sparta: Finlay, n.d. (1986)
Standard hand addressed DL manilla postal envelope notable for many red and blue rubber stamp impression added by Finlay to the front and the back. Sent as a gift to the editor of Art Monthly, Peter Townsend (not the musician).
JOINT:
15 x 21cm, black ink on paper - with a handwritten note to Townsend: "A little medley of "insulting" war stamps. Evidently authoritarians are people of very delicate sensibilities and very little capacity to read and think.". VG.
JOINT:
A standard mailing envelope hand addressed to The Editor Art Monthly by Finlay and rubber stamped with "The peopole has a right to rigorous bureaucracy.". Opened neatly.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1986
11 x 9cm, 20pp plus overside printed card wrappers. Quotations from Hereclitus are used to illuminate the missile attack on HMS Sheffield on 4 May 1982. The classical words all regard the transformation of water and air into fire - which ends with the quote "Exocet steers all." which is the line about Zeus - "Lightning steers all" but with the name of the missile replacing the God's weapon of choice. Finally a polarised image of the horrific attack on the warship is reproduced in b/w. VG+.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1986
7.6 x 8cm, printed outer folder content of six 7.6 x 8cm, 1pp cards. Each card has a drawing of a guillotine blade by Hincks with a quotation on it such as:
"The government of the Revolution is the despotism of liberty against tyranny. Terror is an emanation of virtue."
by Robespierre. Other quotes are from Denis Diderot, Nicolas Poussin and from Finlay himself who writes:
"Terror is the piety of the Revolution".
Finlay saw The Terror as in some sense pure - which was not an acceptance of the acts of the despots but a metaphysical impression of the firm beliefs of the Terrorists as being virtuous. The guillotine is often an image used in Finlay's works that stands for that purity as well as the fear and evil of man. VG+.
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