One of 10 installation views from the catalogue designed by David Hammons to supplement his blue light intervention at Warsaw's Ujazdów Castle (Centre for Contemporary Art, 2000). See number 5 below.

Harper's Books: April Selections

A late-monthly list of books, ephemera, and prints relating to art, photography, and subculture. Click the links for additional images and purchasing options. To browse similar materials, visit our Chelsea bookshop at 504 West 22nd Street; Wednesday through Saturday, 11am to 6pm; Tuesdays by appointment or chance.

1. BERRY, Burton Y.

Teenage Styles and Trends, 1967-71: A Retrospect

[Zurich]: Self-published, 1972. First Edition. Quarto. "A person is only old when he has lost his interest in young people." One of the great amateur photobooks of the 60s and 70s, privately printed for Burton Y. Berry in an edition of 300 copies. Berry was a career American diplomat and an obsessive collector, who was inspired after attending a 1965 Beatles concert to document the (mostly male) youth culture that surrounded him in Zurich, where he was stationed. With dozens of full-bleed glossy reproductions of Berry's b&w street photography interspersed with sections of brief commentary, in which Berry reflects upon transformations in culture, fashion, and gender norms; his frequent innuendo culminating in the work's only nude image on the final page. "The book is to be valued not only for its contribution to the gay photobook, but to the literature of youth fashion and street culture." (Parr/Badger, v3, 80). A fine copy in photo-illustrated laminate boards.

$2000.00

2. BRANCUSI, Constantin

Brancusi

New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1987. First Edition. Large quarto. The first attempt at a definitive monograph on Brancusi, with over 600 illustrations, including 64 color plates and over 200 reproductions of Brancusi's own photographs. With a series of critical essays accompanied by a selection of the artist's aphorisms and descriptive catalogues for his artworks, furniture, and objects. A near fine copy in cloth boards in a classic Abrams jacket.

$350.00

3. CRUMB, Robert

R. Crumb: Sketchbook (First 6 Volumes)

Seattle: Fantagraphics Books, 1992-1997. First six installments from Fantagraphics' long-term project to publish Robert Crumb's intimate sketchbooks in faithful facsimile. These first six being: 1964 to Mid '65, (2) Mid 1965 to Early '66; (3) 1966; (4) Late 1966 to Mid '67; (5) Late 1967 & Early '68; and (6) Mid 1968 to Mid '69. Uniformly fine copies in cloth-backed illustrated boards.

$750.00

4. DEMAND, Thomas, Luigi Ghirri, René Magritte, Various Others

La Carte d'Après Nature

London: MACK, 2010. First Edition. Quarto. An impressive catalogue published on the occasion of the inaugural exhibition at the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco (Sep. 18, 2010 - Feb. 22, 2011), as curated by Thomas Demand. Adopting the title from an arts magazine edited by René Magritte in the 1950s, Demand assembles both writings and photographs from a range of artists—Luigi Ghirri, Rodney Graham, Tacita Dean, Ger van Elk, August Kotzsch, as well as his own—on the themes of Surrealism and (tamed) nature. Includes a separate booklet, laid loose into rear pocket, being a facsimile of an unpublished photobook from Luigi Ghirri, originally commissioned by the city of Ravenna's Environmental council. A near fine copy in fully-illustrated cloth boards.

$350.00

5. HAMMONS, David

Real Time

Warsaw: Centre for Contemporary Art, 2000. First Edition. Small quarto. Artist's catalogue conceived by David Hammons to accompany his intervention at Warsaw's Centre for Contemporary Art, for which he transformed the rooms on the second floor of Ujazdowski Castle by fitting blue gel filters on each of the windows. This catalogue fully-illustrated after 10 full-bleed images of the empty bluish rooms; each of these pages overlaid by blue transparency sheets, further simulating the filtered experience. With curatorial statement, printed in both Polish and English to verso of rear board: "Art is replaced by the spaces of an institution devoted to it, which assume the form of art." Minor scuffing to printed boards; near fine. Uncommon, with six OCLC records located in North America.

$1250.00

6. HAMMONS, David

David Hammons: Five Decades (with Basketball Slipcase)

New York: Mnuchin Gallery, 2016. First Edition. Quarto. Published to accompany the first Hammons survey in twenty-five years, at New York's Mnuchin Gallery (Mar. 15 - May 27, 2016). Elegantly illustrated with reproductions of his works, details, installation shots, and historical photographs; introduced by original texts from Robert Storr, Alanna Heiss, and Kellie Jones. Laid in loose: a Mnuchin Gallery communiqué, highlighting Hammons' active participation in the installation. Minor scuffing to cloth-backed boards; near fine. With original slipcase, in the preferred basketball-textured variant, showing minor edge-wear; also near fine.

$750.00

7. HOLZER, Jenny

Video Show (Student Exhibition Poster)

Providence, RI: Woods Gerry Gallery, [1977]. Offset poster (13 x 8.5 inches). A tantalizing glimpse into the early video work of Jenny Holzer, from her time as an MFA student at the Rhode Island School of Design. This poster announcing a group show at RISD's Woods-Gerry Gallery, also featuring works from Dave Martinez and John Miller. In an interview with Joan Simon, Holzer would later remember her student vidoes as "not great, and somewhat autobiographical." A short tear to top edge, else near fine.

$1000.00

8. HUJAR, Peter

Peter Hujar: Night

New York: Matthew Marks Gallery / San Francisco: Fraenkel Gallery, 2005. First Edition. Quarto. Classic catalogue published on the occasion of an exhibition of Peter Hujar's nocturnal NYC photographs, co-organized by Matthew Marks (New York, Jan. 15 - Mar. 5, 2005) and Fraenkel Gallery (San Francisco, Mar. 10 - Apr. 30). Illustrated with 43 black-and-white plates—including a dramatic portrait of David Wojnarowicz with cigarette—accompanied by a critical essay by Bob Nickas. A fine copy in glossy illustrated boards, in matching illustrated jacket with minor toning to margins; near fine.

$450.00

9. JUDD, Donald 

Donald Judd: Complete Writings, 1959-1975 (Hardcover Version)

Halifax: The Press of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design / New York: New York University, 1975. First Edition. Quarto. A collection of Donald Judd's "mercenary" art writings; mostly reviews for Arts magazine. "The job with Arts provided most of my money until the last year. I wrote criticism as a mercenary and would never have written it otherwise. Since there were no set hours and since I could work at home it was a good part-time job. It took three or four days to see the shows and perhaps a week or so off-and-on to write the reviews, which I always put off until the deadline... I think I was paid 180 dollars a month for quite a while. The rent for my loft was 100 dollars." Contents: viii, 230 pages; illustrated with b&w reproductions of the original accompanying images. Faint blemish to front panel of yellow cloth boards, else fine. In printed jacket with matching design; slightest edge-wear, close to fine. A bright, impressive copy.

$1250.00

10. LEVAN, Larry and Keith Haring

The Final Nights of Paradise (5 Disc Bootleg Set)

New York: Garage Records, [2009]. Five 12" vinyl LPs in silkscreened sleeves. Complete set of this desirable bootleg, commemorating Michael Brody's legendary New York dance club Paradise Garage (1977-1987). Featuring a recording of resident DJ Larry Levan's epic set from the club's final weekend in September 1987. A series of anonymous reminiscences are screenprinted to the versos of the sleeves, with an unauthorized reproduction of Keith Haring's holy portrait of Levan screenprinted in various colors to rectos; the image originally created by Haring for the DJ's 1986 birthday party at the club. In his journals, following the Garage's closing, Haring wrote: "It's like losing a lover when everything was going just fine." Ghosting from original price sticker to front cover of first volume, with some offsetting to pink screenprint, else a near fine set of the sleeves. With a few minor scratches to the vinyl, else also near fine.

$1500.00

11. MARCLAY, Christian

To Be Continued (Signed)

Tirol, Austria: Klangspuren Schwaz, 2016. First Edition. Slim quarto. Artist's book produced by Christian Marclay for the Klangspuren Festival für Neue Musik in Tirol; a dynamic collage of mostly comic book imagery, to be interpreted as "a musical score for guitar, woodwinds, double bass, and percussion." This copy SIGNED by Marclay to verso of front cover, beneath his composer's statement. A fine copy in stapled illustrated wrappers.

$350.00

12. MENDIETA, Ana

Ana Mendieta: The "Silueta" Series

Chatellerault, France: Cardinaux, 1997. Limited Edition. Small octavo. An obscure booklet highlighting the Silueta earthworks of Ana Mendieta for a French audience; with five of Mendieta's photographs reproduced, three in color. Accompanied by commemorative texts from Mary Sabbatino and Raquelin Mendieta, both translated into French. One of 250 copies. A fine copy in stapled wrappers. With no OCLC records located.

$275.00

13. THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

Exhibition: Modern Painting, Modern Sculpture, American Folk Art, Architecture, Movie Stills (Letterpress Poster)

New York: MoMA, [1937]. An exceptional letterpress broadside (10.25 x 7.5 inches) promoting MoMA's temporary location in the Rockefeller Center's Concourse (14 West 49th Street). By 1937, the museum had vacated its West 53rd Street location, in a townhouse owned by John D. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, so that its permanent, purpose-built location could be constructed. A remarkably well-preserved copy, printed to thick stock; fine.

$1000.00

14. MOTHERWELL, Robert

Robert Motherwell: Collages (Variant Exhibition Poster)

Köln: Galerie der Spiegel, 1962. Color lithograph to smooth sheet (16.5 x 18.5 in., image; 20 x 26 inches, sheet). A striking variant print, avant la lettre, of the exhibition poster from Robert Motherwell's Collages show at Galerie der Spiegel in Cologne (Apr. 6 - May, 1962). Accompanied by corresponding bifolium announcement card, continuing the color scheme. Both preserved in fine condition.

$850.00

15. OWENS, Laura

Clocks

New York: Karma, 2012. First Edition. Quarto. A playful catalogue published on the occasion of Laura Owens' exhibition of clock paintings at Karma's 21 Downing Street gallery, fully-illustrated with alternating reproductions of the fronts and backs of Owens' sometimes-battery-powered canvases. Minor rubbing to illustrated wrappers, else near fine. 

$250.00

16. RIVERA, Diego and Vilmos Huszár

Wendingen: Diego Rivera

Amsterdam: Genootschap Architectura et Amicitia, 1929. First Edition. Quarto. Third number from the 10th year of the monthly Dutch art and architecture serial Wendingen; this issue dedicated to the political murals of Diego Rivera, with 24 black-and-white reproductions and installation views introduced by a text from H. P. L. Wiessing (in Dutch). The expressive typography on the covers designed and printed by founding De Stijl member Vilmos Huszár. Faint dampstaning to front panel of stringbound illustrated wrappers, thus close to near fine.

$650.00

17. RUFF, Thomas

Ma.r.s. (Signed)

Málaga: CAC Málaga, 2011. First Edition. Quarto. SIGNED by Ruff in pencil to front endpaper. Published on the occasion of an exhibition of Thomas Ruff's ma.r.s. series at CAC Málaga (Oct. 21, 2011 - Jan. 29, 2012). For this series, Ruff manipulated black-and-white photographs of the surface of Mars—as captured by NASA's Renaissance Orbiter spacecraft—using a variety of digital techniques. "The resulting chromoegnic prints transform the originals into visual statements that are at once documentary and fictional." Illustrated with 22 reproductions of these works; complemented by an additional 9 reproductions of Ruff's earlier space-related photos (1992-2007). With accompanying texts printed in both Spanish and English translation. Near fine copy in papered boards, in near fine fully-illustrated jacket. Uncommon.

$350.00

18. TILLMANS, Wolfgang

Wolfgang Tillmans: September 9 - October 15, 1994 (Announcement Card)

New York: Andrea Rosen Gallery, 1994. Announcement card (4.25 x 6 inches) from Wolfgang Tillmans' first American solo exhibition, at Andrea Rosen Gallery (Sep. 9 - Oct. 15, 1994), where a selection of his works, including his club photography, were hung in his already-signature style. Fully-illustrated to front, with exhibition details printed to verso, including notice of the accompanying block party. A fine example.

$350.00

19. TILLMANS, Wolfgang

2016 / 1986 EP (Signed)

[Germany]: Fragile, 2016. 12" vinyl EP. The first artist's record from Wolfgang Tillmans, quite literally titled—with two new dance tracks (Make It Up As You Go Along; Triangle / Gong / What) joined by three B side recordings of synth-heavy collaborations he produced as a teenager with Bert Leßsmann in 1986. Sleeves evocatively illustrated after Tillmans' photographs. This copy SIGNED by Tillmans in pencil to rear cover and dated "NYPL Library, Sep. 5, 2018." Minor scuffing to sleeve; close to near fine. Record fine.

$450.00

20. WONG, Martin

Martin Wong (November 5 - December 23, 1988)

New York: EXIT ART, 1988. First Edition. Slim quarto (26 pp.). Exhibition catalogue for Martin Wong's solo show at the non-profit cultural center EXIT ART (Nov. 5 - Dec. 23, 1988)—curated by co-founder Jeanette Ingberman, who here christens Wong as "the underdog as hero." Illustrated with a dozen b&w reproductions and installation views, and a playful 1986 portrait of Wong. With additional text on Wong's aesthetic by John Yao. Some rubbing to illustrated wrappers; near fine. Uncommon.

$500.00

21. WOOL, Christopher and Richard Hell

Psychopts (Portfolio)

New York: Brand X Editions, 2008. Limited Edition (no. 21 of 21 copies). Portfolio of nine silkscreen prints (23.25 x 18 inches), each hand-numbered and SIGNED to lower margin by Christopher Wool and Richard Hell. Produced in conjunction with a 2008 exhibition and corresponding artists’ book, this collaborative suite of silkscreen word-images from Wool and Hell employs a pseudo-dyslexic aesthetic to generate novel—and controversial—associations between word-couples that had been collected by Hell over the years: nicest/incest, salve/slave, perils/penis, etc. A fine set of prints, in plain cloth portfolio with minor wear. Complete sets scarce, with no OCLC records located; copy no. 17 held by MoMA.

$20,000.00

22. ŽIŽEK, Slavoj and Bruce Weber 

A&F Quarterly: Back to School, 2003 (The Sex Ed Issue)

Abercrombie & Fitch, 2003. First Edition. Quarto. One of the most noteworthy installments of Abercrombie & Fitch's hyper-sexualized quarterly, for which the Lacanian-Marxist philosopher Slavoj Žižek was invited to generate commentary to accompany Bruce Weber's wholesome/horny photography; followed by the usual catalogue of pond shirts, belted cargos, and lace camis. "The object of desire is hidden behind the thigh but the true cause of desire is the tattooed cross on the arm. Is it not clear that we really make love with signs, not with bodies? This is why one has to go to school to learn sex." Some faintly dog-eared corners to the catalogue portion, with minor rubbing to illustrated wrappers. A close to near fine copy of this particularly desirable issue.

$275.00

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