20 May

Posted at 20:41h in Artist's Books

Nottingham: Jargon Press, 1968
50.7 x 38.4cm, calendar with twelve original silkscreens, one silkscreen portrait of the artist, a colophon sheet and front cover and backing board. Spiral bound along top. Introduction by Jonathan Williams and a foreword by Mike Weaver. Designed by Herbert M. Rosenthal.
Twelve colour prints issued as a large folio spiral-bound calendar, featuring short commentaries by Stephen Bann based on information provided to him by Finlay.
The title refers to Wittgenstein's 'Blue and Brown Books' (1958) in which he developed the concept that the meaning of a word is its actual use in language.
This is quite possibly possibly the most sought after publication by Finlay - the twelve serigraphs are each individual concrete poetry works and dealers usually split this publication up and frame the individual prints and sell them at high prices. This example is unusually complete and is housed in the original custom made cardboard shipping box address to the editor of the Black Sparrow Press Seamus Cooney. There is some browning to the front purple sheet but overall this is one of the best example of this rare publication you can find..
Murray has this as reference 3.28 and notes a complete set of the prints are for sale in 2006 for £2,000. The Prints Drukgrafik catalogue reference is 2.64.4 and the 12 images can be seen on pages 19 - 21.

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26 Apr

Posted at 19:35h in UNIQUE WORKS

Paris: s.p. (Boltanski), 1968
18 x 24 x 24cm two part rusted (as issued) tin two biscuit box content of three home-made wide cages (chickenwire) containing the artist's hair, a ball of dirt (one of many such "boules" that Boltanski made almost compulsively during that time and a bloody elastoplast (the artist's blood). Additionally there is a signed photograph of the whole box. The bottom of the box has the text: " EMBALLAGE PERDU / PLOI STRICTMENT INTERDIT" which translates roughly to "LOST PACKAGING / STRICTLY PROHIBITED SHIPPING".
This was one of a number (Boltanski claims around 30) such boxes that he created (each unique) and gave as gestural gifts to friends, collectors and even strangers. In VG+ condition.
BR>...

04 Oct

Posted at 11:42h in Letters + Documents

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1967 12.8 x 10.5cm, 32pp. Card covers with printed dust jacket. An artist's book the title of which refers to a wild bird - interestingly not found in Scotland - which had a loud piercing song which is often claimed to be like two stones being hit off each other. The book consists of a number of concrete and experimental poems using different forms different forms.

This copy is unique in that it was send by Finlay to Maxwell Allan (a sculptor and collaborator) and has been annotated with crosses and ticks on most pages (perhaps indicating approval for further works based on them) and on one page an ink text in Finlay's cursive hand: "this is a nice font isn't it?" referring to the typography of the words in "THE BOAT"S/inseparable ripples". An unusual find in an already somewhat scarce book. VG although the cover is slightly grubby through being handled. ...

07 Jul

Posted at 19:57h in Artist's Books

Bath: Opening Press, 1967
47. 5 x 47.5 x 1.5cm, silkscreened portfolio case content of 13 individual silkscreens in various colours on thin card. The silkscreens are all concrete poems which were based on correspondence between Ian Hamilton Finlay and Eve Furnival - John Furnival's young daughter. Finlay had sent simple concrete poems to the young girl - and when he was invited to work with Furnival in the latter's class at Bath Academy these poems were created with the students (one student per print) and this portfolio produced.
There is great humour in this work - like elsewhere in Finlay's oeuvre - ambiguous headlines from real and made up newspapers give the basis for many of the works. Lobster boats here look nippy, Waterlilies lead double lives and are warned that they must reflect. hedgehogs announce annual turnovers as if they were banks or just rolled in defence.
This is one of the most rare Finlay publications. One 50 numbered copies were made. This example is internally in VG+ condition although the cover has a horrible paper scuff (although the cover is based on a childish drawing by Eve Furnival.

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20 Mar

Posted at 13:06h in Joseph Beuys Cards 1960s, Joseph Beuys Postcards

Darmstadt: Franz Dahlem, 1967.
20.5 x 15.5cm, 2pp announcement card for a performance on 20 March 1967 (with Henning Christiansen)of Hauptstrom where the latter played a violin painted green and an exhibition of works by Beuys. The front of the card show the artist during his explaining art to a dead hare aktion of 1965 - but interestingly in a purple and yellow mirrored duotone. A scarce early card. VG+.

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17 Mar

Posted at 16:48h in Page Works & Contributions

Edinburgh: M. MacDonald, 1967 21.8 x 14.2cm, 48pp plus card covers. A single number (nr 23) of Alan Riddle's Scottish poetry magazine which includes a 10 page section on "Concrete Numbers". Poems by Tom Clark, Edwin Morgan and Riddle himself are presented along with five by Finlay: Funnel Geography (2), Line Boats, Purse-Net Boat, 2. From the Yard of Thomas Summers & co. and 3 Blue Lemons. Other traditional poetry is also included by Norman McCaig and Tom Buchan amongst others. VG+. ...

28 Feb

Posted at 20:23h in Prints + Posters

Napoli: Linea Sud, 1967
22 x 16cm, unpaginated (40pp) plus one fold out page and original printed wrappers. A single number of this avant garde art journal here dedicated to experimental and visual poetry (poesia visiva). Included are L. Caruso, G. Desiato, E. Villa, I. Isou, M. Lemaitre, (unusually this journal includes Lettrisme as experimental visual poetry when it is often overlooked) J.P. Garnier and others. However importantly there are also two folded poem silkscreen posters by Ian Hamilton Finlay (each opens to 60 x 36cm) which are different in format to other prints of the same works - one is Planet which is printed in brown and somewhat loosely - and the other - is SEEM SEA which appears to be very similar to the Wild Hawthorn Press print SEAM with a similar use of the space between the letters of the word. Printed in blue this is a another nautical inspired work by the poet - with elements of alliteration and homophony playing with the relative placing of the works on the page. This print was only ever published as this insert into the magazine and is very rare - the journal is often found without the prints or with one or the other missing. This is a complete publication in VG+ condition with like prints.
We feel these works should be categorised as prints in their own right and not as contributions to a magazine.

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30 Jan

Posted at 09:05h in Joseph Beuys Cards 1960s, Joseph Beuys Postcards

Wide White Space, Antwerpen 1970
21 x 15cm, 4pp (single folded sheet printed recto only) - the exhibition announcement and handout for a group show at the conceptual art gallery - here with listed works by Beuys ("Objekt Joyce" from 1961 and a sculpture "Doppelspaten" from 1965) and others by Fontana, Vasarely, Appel, Tapies, Broodthaers ("Plat a moules" from 1965), Gaul, Van Severen, Manzoni, Panamarenko, Henneman, Heyrman and Palermo. Textual content only. VG+.

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03 Dec

Posted at 08:38h in Artist's Books

N.p. (Ceres?): s.p. (FInlay? or Tarasque Press?), 1966
23.2 x 11cm, 2pp plus blue printed wrappers. An unusual artist's book which appears to be hand made and has on the front a concrete poem by Finlay:

Arcady ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

then stapled inside is a much smaller sheet of orange paper (Finlay likes the combination of blue and orange - a colour scheme he uses often in prints and books) on which is a handwritten note in blue ink from Finlay: "Happy Christmas and love to Martin from Ian - Christmas '66"
This small book is in VG condition but two stains (brown marks) to the front of the wrappers and some creasing to the top of the sheet
JOINT TO THE BOOK:
20 x 12.5cm, 1pp hand-typed insert on pink typing paper: "Some questions on the poem, for Christmas Day." listing questions that may be asked of the poem and the writer's intent. VG+.t
JOINT TO THE BOOK:
20 x 12.5cm, 1pp hand-typed insert on green typing paper: "A question on the questions, for Boxing Day." Some browning to the centre of the page near the fold else VG.

This is an early and somewhat limited run artist's book, one of the inner typed sheets are mentioned in the Murray catalogue raisonne as the second "miscellaneous" item (7.2) but clearly Murray did not know of the rest of the publication.
Issued at Xmas, the poem by listing all of the letters of the alphabet and comparing them to Arcady (the mythical utopian country - a place to strive to live) Finlay is suggesting the world of letters, words and symbols is an utopian land for poets.
The additional typed letters may just be fun things to do on Christmas Day and Boxing Day but are really clues to how to 'read' the poem. And in the second letter how to 'read' the questions.
The hand typed and hand-written aspects of this publication may indicate that very few were produced - it is not unique given that Murray had an example of one of the letters but we have never seen another copy. Murray has this as being published by the Tarasque Press and that is possible but the hand- made aspects would suggest it was Finlay himself. Reading the published letters between Bann and Finlay for the months around Xmas 1966 does not find any reference to the book at all so we are for now flummoxed.

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09 Nov

Posted at 15:30h in ARTIST’S BOOKS

Paris: Gallery du Tournesol, November 1966
25 x 36cm, 28pp on uncut cartridge paper - an artist's book with 10 original lithographs by Juan Romero and a poetic text. Loose signatures which were released uncut (probably awaiting private binding). Published by Boltanski as part of his activities as a gallerist during his first steps in the artworld. VG+. Extremely rare.

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30 Mar

Posted at 09:44h in LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS

Paris: Galerie Tournesol, 1966
18 x 21cm, 1pp hand typed letter from Boltanski on Galerie du Tournesol letterhead paper to M. Berg apologising that the gallery will be closed on 7th of April 1966 and that Boltanski will only return to Paris on the 13 April but he would be happy to meet Berg on any other date. He also mentions Berg's interest in the work of Romero. The letter is signed in black ink. VG+.

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