06 Jun

Posted at 16:59h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Paris : Christian Bourgeois, 1976. 32.5 x 23cm, 40pp plus wrappers. The first number (3 = all) of this art journal which was edited by Boltanski on behalf of the publisher Roman Cieslewicz. The large format allowed single images as contributions from various artists including Roland Topor and occasional texts.
Boltanski's contribution as well as being editor is a full page image "Photographie de Christian Boltanski mort.". VG+.
There were two later numbers of Kamizake - one in 1991 and another in 1997, both without Boltanski's involvement (Agnes b having a major role in these later numbers.

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19 May

Posted at 13:49h in EPHEMERA

Paris: Musee Nationaal d'Art Moderne, 1976
10.6 x 21cm, 2pp b/w offset leaflet for a solo show of colour images by Boltanski. On the reverse there is an extract in the artist's holograph from a letter to Guy Jungblut which says:

"I make photographs, I am perfecting my technique and try to conform to rules of art which is difficult. I am making colour photographs of things that I am fond of, to show the beauty of simple things and a "joie de vivre". "

Boltanski's images were of food and family life and are very bold in technique. VG+. Scarce.

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25 Nov

Posted at 09:56h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Devon: Beau Geste Press, Nov. 1975. 30 x 21cm, 98pp. + pasted in booklet by Ben Vautier "Me Ben I Sign". 133 illustrations. Flip-flop perfect bound wrappers with pasted-on pictorial design (front and back - as is the pagination - creating the illusion of two back-to-back books). An especially noteworthy issue with pagework contributions by Filliou, Vautier (beyond the booklet), J.C. Lambert, Marcel Broodthaers, et. al. Issued in an edition of only 550 examples.
Christian Boltanski's contribution is a reprint of the pages from his second artist's second published book Description de Mon Accident from 1969.

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31 Oct

Posted at 19:57h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Bruxelles: Palais des Beaux Arts, 1975
21 x 29cm, 32pp plus card covers. First edition, with black tape spine, of this artist's book which displays the various comic performances by Boltanski where he pretended to be various parental and authority figures in a child's life and common scenes relating to those figures - additionally the artist had painted various backgrounds for each scene. Twenty-two b/w images reproduced in the book, two per page. The performances were Le baiser honteux, La premiere communion, La visite du docteur, L'anniversaire, La toilete du matin. Two b/w images of the artist on every page. The book was published on the occasion of the exhibition "12 x 1, Une certaine actualite de l'art contemporain en France," held at Europalia 75, France, October - November 1975. Slight damage to the black spine tape else VG+.

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04 Oct

Posted at 20:12h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Copenhague: Bergs Verlag, 1975
17 x 11.2cm, 48pp plus blue wrappers. First edition of this artist's book that M. Berg (see previous letters) commissioned from his friend Boltanski. The many b/w images show in short sequences games and adventures that a young nine year old boy might undertake (climbing a tree, playing tops, spinning a knife, completing a jigsaw puzzle). As ever these are recreations of childhood memories with the boy in the images (whose face is never shown so standing for all young boys) clearly a model. This is one of 600 pencil numbered copies. text in Danish and French. VG+.

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27 Sep

Posted at 22:31h in Prints + Posters

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975
34.1 × 22.8cm, 4pp printed outer folder (black on cream) with the title text and inside a single sheet of green wove paper with the words ANTIQUE WOVE printed at the bottom.
This was one of the first of such works where the paper choice added within a folder is a comment on the subject matter. The choice of green antique wove paper is a reference to the verdant countryside of the Watteau painting, the fact it is a classical "antique" theme.
This innovation of creating a poem using the very materials employed in the printing is to the best of our knowledge a Finlay invention and, as we say, used in similar such works by the poet in later years.
Very slight grubbiness to outer folder else VG.

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08 Jul

Posted at 19:24h in Object + Paper Multiples

Stoneypath): Wild Hawthorne Press, 1975
19 x 28 cm. board war game for two players consisting of playing board, die cut counters and printed instructions. Fine copy of this rare work. Still in original plastic wallet and unusually here with mimeographed order form - black on pink 80gsm uncoated stock A4, folded to DL size as for mailing. This example has never been played - the die cut counters are still in their original card mouldings. Finlay's interest in the WWII war in the Pacific as metaphor led to the production of this unusual artist's game.
JOINT WITH:<BR< Original cardboard mailer with rubber stamp impression "Pacific The non-scale Wargame". VG+.
Finlay apparently believed that Pacific could be a successful and financially beneficial game but sadly that did not happen.

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15 Jun

Posted at 21:12h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975
9.9 x 22.5cm, 4pp Folding card printed only on the inside. Left and right respectively are found:

TEA-KETTLE-DRUM and WATER - LILY - CUP

in a slightly archaic font. The colours of the words alternative black and russet red.
The two groups of three words are able to be combined in any three ways - on the left it can be Tea kettle, Tea drum (a place to store tea) and Kettle drum (a type of drum) on the right Water lily, Water cup and Lily cup (a part of the flower). Additionally the complex words Tea kettle drum and Water Lily cup are in themselves things and have a visual resemblance to each other.
Finally it may be that the mention of the drum recalls the French Revolutionary Army and Bara, the martyred drum boy. The French crown was long associated by the fleur-de-li, a lily. And of course the head of the king (lily cup) was removed when he was legally murdered by the new Republic.
Simple and complex like the best of Finlay and ultimately a "text visual" as opposed to a "visual poem".

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12 Jun

Posted at 17:57h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Zagreb: GalerieSuvremene Umjetnosti, 1975 21 x 20cm, 18pp plus white card covers. Artist's book issued during a show in Croatia where the "4 Saynetes Comiques Interpretees par Christian Boltansi" are reproduced in b/w and a short forward in Croatian. VG+. Very hard to find. ...

21 Apr

Posted at 19:12h in Artist's Books

Reno: Wild Coast Poetry Review, 1975
29 x 29cm, 56pp plus pictorial card covers. Artist's book published on the occasion of an exhibition in North Wales with numerous b/w photographs by Dave Paterson of works and views of Little Sparta with commentaries by Bernard Lassus and Stephen Bann in English and German. VG+.

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20 Apr

Posted at 09:36h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975
11.7 x 13.5cm, 4pp. The front of the card has a poem under the title:

Lily has grown
a full stop.
Iris has not<BR
On the back of the card is a photograph by Dave Paterson of a small wooden sculpture by Finlay called "Lily" and the poem is an adaption of a Cutt's poem FAMILY which we believe to be about the latter's children but cannot confirm. Finlay's mild parody references the photograph where an additional floating "leaf" appears to have been attached to the sculpture by wire - almost as if it has grown -the shape of the leaf, is like the round full stop. VG+.

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06 Feb

Posted at 14:22h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Geneva: Edition Adelina Cuberyan, 1975
22.5 x 13cm, 22pp plus card covers. Artist's book released at the same time as an exhibition by Boltanski in the Centre d'Art Contemporain, Geneva.
The book is another produced during a period where Boltanski performed in public dressed slightly formally in suit and hat (bit looking vaguely dishevelled) with a ventriloquist's dummy of a young child which was meant to represent the young artist (with wild hair). The performances were comic re-inactions of parental (and grand- parental) activities from the earliest days - but, of course, only remembered through the eyes of a child - so the events are sometimes extreme - punishment, birthday gifts - or routine (the artist's mother cleaning the house).
In VG+ condition. Scarce.

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