Portrait of David Wojnarowicz by Peter Hujar; one of eight images supplied by Hujar for a Christmas catalogue from Dianne Benson's Soho boutique. Wojnarowicz here wearing an Issey Miyake shirt. See number 9 below.

Harper's Books: December Selections

Below, our 22 monthly selections; a range of books, ephemera, and other printed matter relating to art, photography, subcultures, and modern literature. Click the links for additional images and purchasing options. To browse similar materials, visit our Chelsea bookshop at 504 West 22nd Street. Our extended holiday hours are 10-7 through Saturday, December 21st; we will re-open in the New Year on Thursday, January 2nd.

1. Francesca Alinovi (curator) / Basquiat, Crash, Futura 2000, Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer & Lady Pink, Lee Quiñones, Rammellzee, Various Others

Arte di Frontiera: New York Graffiti / Quattordio Graffiti (Deluxe Edition)

Milano: Gabriele Mazzotta, 1984. Deluxe Edition. Quarto. Two hardcover volumes in matching slipcase. Published to accompany an influential group show of American graffiti artists that traveled through Italy, this monograph features essays from curator Francesca Alinovi and gallerist Tony Shafrazi (printed in both Italian and English), a hip hop glossary, and mostly-color reproductions of works from the likes of A One, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Crash, Futura 2000, Richard Hambleton, Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer & Lady Pink, and Lee Quiñones, along with artist bios. This deluxe hardcover edition features a second volume—Quattordio Graffiti, edited by Italian art critic Tomasso Trini—reproducing newspaper coverage from the exhibition's stops through Bologna, Milan, and Rome, and documenting works produced by Delta 2, Ero, Phase 2, and Rammellzee during their artist residencies at the sponsoring IVI paint factory in the Piedmontese village of Quattordio. Text in Italian for this second volume. Minor bumping to gray cloth boards; near fine. In illustrated jackets with matching illustrated cloth slipcase; also near fine.

$2500.00

2. Jean-Michel Basquiat

The CASlight News (4/27/78)

New York: City-As-School, 1978. First Edition. Folio. Student publication; printed recto/verso to corner-stapled foolscap leaves (6 pp.). April 27th issue of this student newsletter produced during Jean-Michel Basquiat's time at City-As-School, an alternative public high school in Lower Manhattan. Basquiat is named to the masthead as one of the staff (as "Jean Basquiat"), with at least two illustrations attributed to him via his printed signature—i.e. a unicorn to the lower corner of the second page and a full-page illustration to the rear cover depicting a balloon-holding student lifting towards the sun; the student's t-shirt producing a Droste effect via recursive image of the larger scene. (The vignettes to the front cover are also likely in Basquiat's hand). Contents of the paper include a report on proposed curriculum changes from a Board of Education meeting, a memoir of a graduating student, and a bulletin board relaying various extra-curricular activities. Final leaf has come undone from stapled binding, with toning and wear at centerfold. Paper, however, remains supple; better than very good. Rare, with no OCLC records discovered for this publication; an internal reference to a 4/3/78 issue suggests that this wasn't a one-off. A remarkable survival.

$5000.00

3. Jay Batlle and Martin Kippenberger

Places Like This Hate People Like You, No. 3: Good Bye Olde Friends / Hello Thirty-Two

Brooklyn, NY: Self-published, 2005-2008. Quarto. Unique artist's book, featuring 495 original drawings—executed in food coloring, ballpoint pen, marker, and pencil—as interventions onto the blank hotel stationary printed in Martin Kippenberger's posthumous compilation No Drawing, No Cry (no. 559 of 750 copies; Walther König, 2000). Across a series of 11 reworked copies of this celebrated publication—which ultimately housed more than 2700 of his unique drawings and collages (2003-2016)—painter/sculptor Jay Batlle engaged in a ghostly duet with Martin Kippenberger, completing the beloved hotel drawings that Kippenberger never had a chance to complete before dying at the age of 44. This third iteration from the series—a travelogue of sorts—features hundreds of expressive, debaucherous figures drawn by Batlle, purportedly across a three year period (2005-2008); another copy inventories the wine he consumed during 2015, with a series of collaged wine labels. Expected signs of handling to this volume, but binding remains sound; an impressive work.

$7500.00

4. Jane Dickson

City Maze: Produced by J. Dickson (Exhibition Poster)

New York: Fashion Moda, [1980]. Offset poster (17 x 11 inches) promoting Jane Dickson's City Maze installation at the legendary Fashion Moda gallery (Sep. 6 - Oct. 4, 1980); fully illustrated after her original drawing. Collaborating with graffiti writers Crash (John Matos) and NOC 167 (Melvin Samuels), Dickson created a cardboard labyrinth for the neighborhood children who often lingered around the South Bronx gallery, constructing it from salvaged refrigerator boxes which were then tagged with colorful graffiti. As per the exhibition's flyer: "it's a warehouse puzzle, an excavation of the past, and a blueprint of the future. It's an obstacle course, a tunnel of love, a treasure hunt, a place to get lost and found, to be surprised, and to have fun." Horizontal fold-line, with faint stain to lower margin, else near fine.

$500.00

5. Mark Gonzales

Why Not Meet Me at the Mark Gonzales Art Show at Alleged (Exhibition Poster)

New York: Alleged Gallery, 1995. Striking exhibition poster, boldly screen-printed to yellow cardstock (17 x 11 inches)—seductively calling the viewer to a Mark Gonzales art show at Aaron Rose's legendary Alleged Gallery on Ludlow Street; "the ground zero of the zeitgeist, where there is no substantive difference between any creative medium" (Carlo McCormick). Pinholes, with minor surface wear; near fine. Archivally-hinged with UV plexiglass in black lacquer frame (22 x 15.5 inches).

$1500.00

6. Wade Guyton

Wade Guyton: Color, Power & Style

Köln: Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, 2006. First Edition. Small quarto. The first monograph published on Wade Guyton, following his exhibition at the Kunstverein in Hamburg. Thoroughly illustrated with installation views and color reproductions of his 2005-2006 works; contextualized by a series of four essays on Guyton's innovative techniques, printed in both German and English. Some bumping to black cloth boards, with minor toning to glossy paper; near fine. In printed white jacket, with minor scuffing, also near fine.

$350.00

7. Steven Hager

Hip Hop: The Illustrated History of Break Dancing, Rap Music, and Graffiti

New York: St. Martin's Press, 1984. First Edition. Small quarto. A lively social history of the origins and early development of hip hop culture, written by the former New York Daily News reporter Steven Hager, whose first articles on the subculture formed the basis for the 1984 film Beat Street. Thoroughly illustrated with black-and-white photographs, Hager's narrative is further supplemented by how-to appendices on tagging (with Phase 2), break-dancing, scratching (with Grandmixter DST), lyricism (with Grandmaster Caz) and fashion. The final section offers a selected discography of hip hop classics. A near fine copy in vibrant illustrated wrappers.

$750.00

8. Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Robert Mapplethorpe, Brice Marden, Various Others

Sacred Images in Secular Art

New York: Whitney Museum of American Art, 1986. First Edition. Octavo. Catalogue published on the occasion of a group show at the Whitney (May 1 - Jul. 13, 1986), "examining the burgeoning phenomenon of Christian imagery in recent American art;" curated by a group of Rubinstein Fellows. Exhibited artists included: Richard Artschwager, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Ronnie Cutrone, Audrey Flack, Keith Haring, Robert Mapplethorpe, Brice Marden, and Joel-Peter Witkin. Minor scuffing to side-stapled illustrated wrappers; near fine.

$350.00

9. Peter Hujar and Neil Winokur

The Twelve Perfect Christmas Gifts from Dianne B.

New York: Dianne B., 1983. First Edition. Duodecimo. Portfolio of 12 photographic postcards produced as Christmas catalogue for Dianne B., Dianne Benson's eponymous Soho boutique—an early champion of Issey Miyake, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and Comme des Garçons. One of a number of artist collaborations commissioned by Benson, this catalogue is a rare example of commercial work from Peter Hujar, whose black-and-white photographs supply imagery for eight of the twelve glossy postcards, including striking portraits of Greer Lankton, Dianne B. herself, and David Wojnarowicz. The remaining postcards feature color photography by Neil Winokur, with portfolio illustration by Ken Tisa. Some creasing to panels of red portfolio, and minor discoloration to title cards and a handful of versos; close to near fine. Accompanied by original order form, folded. Rare, with no OCLC records located.

$2000.00

10. KAWS

KAWS One (Signed)

Tokyo: Little More Co., 2001. First Edition. Small quarto. Boldly SIGNED by KAWS and dated in the year of publication. The artist's second book, published in conjunction with his 2001 solo show at Parco Gallery, Tokyo; classic ad disruptions and the Kimpsons. Near fine in illustrated boards, with obi.

$2500.00

11. Anselm Kiefer

Anselm Kiefer: Watercolours, 1970-1982 (Signed)

London: Anthony d'Offay, 1983. Limited Edition. Oblong quarto. Hand-numbered as 19 of 850 copies, SIGNED by Kiefer to colophon. A handsome edition from Anthony d'Offay, reproducing 32 watercolors from Anselm Kiefer; each indexed with lengthy notes at rear by Anne Seymour. A fine copy in blue cloth boards with titles blind-stamped to front panel. In original cardstock slipcase; also fine.

$450.00

12. Barbara Kruger and Stephen King

My Pretty Pony (Deluxe Edition, Signed)

New York: Library Fellows of the Whitney Museum of American Art, 1988. Deluxe Edition. Large folio. One of only 250 copies, in addition to 30 authors' copies, SIGNED by both Kruger and King to colophon. For the sixth volume in the Whitney's collaborative Artists and Writers Series, Barbara Kruger illustrates a short story from Stephen King; a grandfatherly parable about the relativity of time. In addition to 8 bold silkscreen prints in her characteristic textual style, Kruger supplies a series of color lithographs depicting fallen horses and their riders, with a sequence of fragmented captions that together read: "Time / ain't got / nothing / to do / with / how fast / you / can / count." Bound in iconic aluminum boards, with an (expired) digital clock embedded to front panel; the accompanying care sheet reads: "The clock, which is expected to last through 1990, is manufactured by Big Time at 5 Terminal Road, West Hempstead, New York... You may choose to replace the clock or not; its failure is to be considered a property of the book." Contents: 8 silkscreens and 10 lithographs, each interleaved with original tissue guards. Very minor scuffing to aluminum boards; close to fine.

$4500.00

13. Mark Morrisroe

Untitled (Original Polaroid)

[New York], circa 1980. Polaroid print (4.25 x 3.25 inches). A coquettish portrait of two young men from photographer and performance artist Mark Morrisroe,"Boston's first punk" as per his colleague Nan Goldin; with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John embracing in the background. Morrisroe's Polaroids typically show distress; this print with some creasing to lower margin, but otherwise clean. Hinged in black lacquer frame (9 x 8 inches).

$6500.00

14. Bruno Munari, Enzo Mari, Various Others

Bruno Danese vi Invita a Visitare la Mostra dei Nuovi Ogetti per i Regali di Natale (Announcement Card)

Milano: Bruno Danese, 1963. Vertical leporello (27 x 4.5 inches, folding into 4.5 inch square panels); printed recto only with screenprint illustration to front panel. Announcement for an exhibition of Christmas presents designed by Italian artist-designers Bruno Munari and Enzo Mari, along with Renata Bonfati, Franco Meneguzzo, Fulvio Bianconi, and Kiki Vices Vinci. Aside from its unorthodox design, the announcement has a mischievous dimension, as the text printed in blue is "purely decorative and has no reference to actually existing objects;" in Munari's case, the blue text transforms his newly designed chandelier into one that's 1000 meters high with mink doormat. Text in Italian. Minor flecking; near fine.

$250.00

15. Richard Prince and J. D. Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye

American Place, 2011. Limited Edition. Octavo. A sharp, unsealed copy of Richard Prince's masterful bookwork, The Catcher in the Rye; a faithful facsimile of J. D. Salinger's collectible highspot, with Prince swapping his own name and imprint (American Place) for Salinger's on the jacket, title pages, and colophon. Remarkably scarce institutionally, with only 4 OCLC records located for this trade edition; many of which Prince distributed himself from a Central Park bench. A fine copy in cloth boards with fine illustrated jacket.

$4500.00

16. Gerhard Richter

Gerhard Richter: Sils (Signed)

München-Stuttgart: Oktagon Verlag, 1992. First Edition. Duodecimo. Hand-numbered as 487 of 1000 copies and SIGNED by Richter to front endpaper. Published on the occasion of Gerhard Richter's exhibition of arresting over-painted Alpine photographs, which animated the Nietzsche-Haus in Sils Maria, Switzerland. Thoroughly illustrated in color, with texts from curator Hans-Ulrich Obrist and Peter André Bloch (printed in German, French, and English). Illustrated boards; near fine.

$450.00

17. (Skateboarding) / Rick Griffin (illustrator)

The Quarterly Skateboarder (First Issue)

Dana Point, CA: John Severson Publications, 1964. First Edition. Slim quarto. Issue one (of four) of the first magazine dedicated exclusively to skateboarding, from the same publisher as Surfer Magazine. Featuring photo-editorials on night rallies and the Santa Monica skate scene, a series of articles on skateboarding's emergence from surf culture, and two illustrated spreads from Rick Griffin ("The Well-Dressed Skateboarder" and "People You Meet on the Slopes"), which predate his psychedelic style. Cover fully illustated by a magic hour photo of Dave Hilton of the Hobie skate team jumping over the high bar in Covina. Thoroughly illustrated, with plenty of early skateboarding advertisements. Minor scuffing to illustrated side-stapled wrappers; near fine. Accompanied by illustrated subscription envelope. Uncommon, with no OCLC records located.

$650.00

18. Wolfgang Tillmans

Wolfgang Tillmans (First Edition)

Zurich: Kunsthalle Zurich, 1995. First Edition. Quarto. Wolfgang Tillmans' first book, published on the occasion of his exhibition at Kunsthalle Zurich (Mar. 25 - May 21, 1995). A rhythmic, fully-illustrated montage of street photography, newspaper clippings, nudes, TV stills, ephemera, and textual fragments; a moody cartography of Tillmans' pre-digital world. Some bumping to spine ends, with minor scuffing to illustrated boards; close to near fine. This important work is most often encountered as a 2008 reprint by JRP|Ringier; uncommon in first edition.

$1500.00

19. Rirkrit Tiravanija

Fear Eats the Soul (Multiple)

Paris: Onestar Press / Huntington Beach, CA: Cambro Manufacturing, [2018]. Fiberglass serving tray (16.5 x 12.5 inches), with dishwasher-safe silkscreen printing to face; manufacturer's stamp to verso. For this multiple, Rirkrit Tiravanija appropriates the title from Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 1974 film Ali: Fear Eats the Soul; a preview for his Glenstone exhibition of the same name (Sep. 2019 - Mar. 2020), which included a seasonal soup kitchen. Minor surface wear; near fine.

$450.00

20. Charline von Heyl and Vladimir Nabokov

Prince Igor: Imaginary Portraits (Deluxe Edition with Original Artwork)

New York: Karma, 2014. Limited Edition. Octavo. Number 35 of 50 deluxe copies featuring an original artwork from a group of 22 participating artists; this copy SIGNED by Charline von Heyl beneath her mixed media painting to front endpapers (paint, acetate, and ink). Conceived by Dodie Kazanjian for the occasion of the Metropolitan Opera's production of Prince Igor, this Karma publication pairs Vladimir Nabokov's 1960 translation of The Song of Igor's Campaign with speculative portraits of the epic poem's eponymous hero, contributed by the likes of John Baldessari, Francesco Clemente, Peter Doig, Rachel Feinstein, Alex Katz, Raymond Pettibon, Elizabeth Peyton, Peter Saul, Peter Schjeldahl, Dana Schutz, and von Heyl. A fine copy in gilt-illustrated cloth boards. Housed in cloth clamshell box with leather lettering piece to spine.

$4500.00

21. (Andy Warhol) / Christophe von Hohenberg and Charlie Scheips 

Andy Warhol: The Day The Factory Died (with Multiple Signatures)

New York: Empire Editions, 2006. First Edition. Octavo. SIGNED by photographer to title page. A memorial book twenty years in the making, featuring a suite of photographs captured by Christophe von Hohenberg at Andy Warhol's funeral service at St. Patrick's Cathedral (April 1, 1987). Accompanied by an essay from Charlie Scheips, a transcript of the eulogy from John Richardson, and a compilation of testimonials from the likes of Julian Schnabel, Glenn O'Brien, Jonas Mekas, Diane von Fustenberg, Jim Jarmusch, Lou Reed, Gerard Malanga, Leo Castelli, Holly Solomon, and Bob Colacello. This copy further SIGNED to colorful endpapers by a number of Factory personalities, including Penny Arcade, Neke Carson, Ultra Violet, Jamie Warhola, Steven Watson, and Mary Woronov. A near fine copy in photo-illustrated flexible boards, with gilt titles.

$450.00

22. Guy Yanai

Insecurity (Special Edition with Original Drawing)

Marseille: Yundler Brondino Verlag, 2024. Special Edition of this ingenuous artist's book from Guy Yanai, synthesizing PDFs created by his studio for an anxious cycle of eight COVID-era exhibitions (2020-2023). This being number 6 of 10 hand-numbered copies, SIGNED by Yanai to certificate affixed to inner panel of cloth clamshell enclosure, custom-bound to match the yellow foil-printed wrappers of the book. Each of these ten clamshells also housing a unique drawing by Yanai; colored pencil over inkjet prints that reproduce historical hotel postcards. Trade edition of 700 copies also available here.

$850.00

All locations will be closed December 22 through January 2, 2025 ❄︎

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