![]() Interior of announcement flyer for Franz Kline's first solo exhibition in Europe, at Galleria La Tartaruga in Rome (1958). See number 12 below. Harper's Books: February SelectionsBelow, our 22 monthly selections; a range of books, ephemera, and other printed matter relating to art, photography, modern literature, and design. Follow the links for additional images and purchasing options. To browse similar materials, visit Harper's Books at 504 West 22nd Street and our East Hampton gallery at 87 Newtown Lane. 01. Jean-Michel Basquiat Jean-Michel Basquiat... April 29 – June 11, 1988 (Final Exhibition Poster) New York: Vrej Baghoomian, 1988. Offset print (28.5 x 21 inches). Austere poster for what would become Basquiat's final exhibition, before his overdose death in August; Basquiat pictured here with his worn copy of Jack Kerouac's The Subterraneans. Minor bump to upper corner, else a near fine copy. Archivally hinged in white lacquer frame (32.5 x 24.5 inches). $3500.00 02. Gianni Bertini and Henri Kréa Round about Midnight (Signed Deluxe Edition with Four Prints) Alès France: PAB, 1961. Deluxe Edition. Octavo. Another elegant publication from the atelier of Pierre André Benoit, featuring a sparse poem from the French-Algerian writer and anti-colonial activist Henri Kréa. Illustrated by a jazz-inspired engraving from Gianni Bertini, presumably riffing-off the Miles Davis resonance of Kréa's title. This deluxe copy, SIGNED by both Bertini and Benoit to colophon (as II of X), features an additional three loose prints from Bertini, each of them SIGNED, which don't appear in the trade edition of 40 copies. Text (12 pp.) and prints housed in white portfolio with titles; very minor rubbing to covers, else fine. Original glassine. Scarce, with only a single OCLC record located (Yale). $1000.00 03. Christo and Jeanne-Claude / Wolfgang Volz (photographer) Christo: Surrounded Islands: Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami, 1980–83 (Signed) New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1985. First Edition. Square octavo. Documentation of Christo's Miami intervention, where he bordered uninhabited islands with hot pink rip-stop nylon. This copy SIGNED by Christo and Jeanne-Claude in red crayon to half-title page. Thoroughly-illustrated, with chronology and photographs from Wolfgang Volz. A near fine copy in bright illustrated wrappers. $200.00 04. Ed Clark New York: Mnuchin Gallery, 2018. First Edition. Slim quarto. Published on the occasion of the exhibition curated by Sukanya Rajaratnam (Sept. 12 – Oct. 20, 2018). Illustrated by color plates representing 36 of Clark's works, as introduced by a lengthy text from Antwaun Sargent. Minor shelf-wear to illustrated laminate boards; near fine. $150.00 05. Ernest Cole and Thomas Flaherty New York: Random House, 1967. First Edition. Quarto. A pleasant association copy, INSCRIBED by photographer Ernest Cole to the celebrated New York City camera repairman and inventor Marty Forscher; "with respect and admiration" (1968). This photobook features gripping images from Cole of Apartheid South Africa in the 1960s, accompanied by texts from Thomas Flaherty. (Parr / Badger, v2). A close to fine copy bound in tan cloth boards, in illustrated jacket with minor foxing to flaps, else near fine. $650.00 06. Walker Evans New York: Eakins Press, 1966. First Edition. Square folio. Twelve full-page gravure photographs taken between 1936 and 1962, separated by tissue guards. The images embody Evans' unadorned vision of the American vernacular; simply and beautifully printed. A fine copy in cloth boards with bright printed label to front panel. $750.00 07. Stephen Gill Hackney Wick (Limited Edition with Signed Print) London: Nobody / Archive of Modern Conflict, 2005. First Edition. Square quarto. Photobook from Stephen Gill resulting from his exploration of East London's Hackney Wick neighborhood between 2003 and 2005, prior to the dramatic changes occasioned by the 2012 Olympic Games; mostly shot on a plastic camera he purchased at the local market. One of 100 numbered copies, SIGNED by Gill to front pastedown. Accompanied by C-print, also SIGNED by Gill to verso, and a folded lino print artwork. All housed in cardboard slipcase with printed titles. (Parr / Badger, v2, 324). A fine copy in illustrated cloth boards, in slipcase with light wear. $1250.00 08. Allen Ginsberg Wales: A Visitation July 29th 1967 (Signed with Vinyl Record) London: Cape Goliard Press, 1968. Limited Edition. Hand-numbered as 59 of 100 copies, SIGNED by Ginsberg to half-title page. Poem written by Ginsberg whilst on LSD, during his visit to the cottage of publisher Tom Maschler in the Black Mountains of Wales. As he later recounted, "my approach to [the poem], originally, was self-contradictory because—taking an acid trip, and then wanting to gain something, bring back a poem, maybe a poem about God or something—see God and bring back a poem!—pay your mind, see God, bring back a poem, cash it in to The New Yorker, get a hundred dollars, take the money and run back to the next universe..." The long poem is printed here alongside a facsimile of the original manuscript, and illustrated after 4 full-bleed black-and-white photos of Ginsberg by Maschler. Complete with 45 RPM record of a Ginsberg recital, housed in enclosure to rear pastedown. A fine copy in olive papered boards. With photo-illustrated jacket, in original glassine; also fine, save for very minor chip to glassine at lower front corner. $750.00 09. Keith Haring (cover art) New School Bulletin, Spring 1986. Volume 43, Number 5 New York: New School for Social Research, 1985. First Edition. Quarto. Course guide for a number of departments affiliated with the New School for Social Research, including Parsons School of Design. Cover art designed by Keith Haring (dated 1985 to verso), with Haring vignettes sprinkled throughout contents. Very minor rubbing to illustrated wrappers; near fine. $250.00 10. Sheila Hicks Yale University Press, 2010. First Edition. Quarto. An impressive survey of the work of textile artist Sheila Hicks, illustrated with 250 images (174 in color). Accompanied by three scholarly essays by Susan C. Faxon ("Twined Thoughts"), Joan Simon ("Unbiased Weaves") and Whitney Chadwick ("Ancient Lines and Modernist Cubes"). A fine copy in illustrated laminate boards, in photo-illustrated jacket, also fine. $150.00 11. William E. Jones and Andrew Roth Killed: Rejected Images of the Farm Security Administration New York: PPP Editions, 2010. First Edition. Oblong quarto. An impressive archival project by William E. Jones and Andrew Roth, resurrecting photographs captured under the auspices of the Farm Security Administration, but "killed" by the FSA Director Roy Stryker, most often using a hole punch. Contents arranged alphabetically by photographer, including Walker Evans, Theodor Jung, Carl Mydans, Marion Post Wolcott, Arthur Rothstein, Ben Shahn, and John Vachon. An appendix (entitled "Perversion") includes a group of eroticized images encountered during the project, mostly of men. One of 1000 copies. A near fine copy in cloth boards, with minor rubbing to joints. $250.00 12. Franz Kline Kline: Galleria La Tartaruga: giovedì 27 febbraio 1958 (Announcement) Roma: Galleria La Tartaruga, 1958. Folded lithographic flyer, printed both recto/verso to cardstock (11 x 12.25 inches, unfolded). A striking announcement from Galleria La Tartaruga for Franz Kline's first European solo exhibition (opening Feb. 27th, 1958), featuring a full interior spread. Some darkening to edges and centerfold; close to near fine. $500.00 13. Michael Lesy New York: Pantheon Books, 1973. First Edition. Oblong quarto. A compendium of photographs selected by Michael Levy from over 30,000 glass plate negatives (1890-1910) descended from Black River Falls town photographer Charles van Schaick; strikingly juxtaposed by Lesy with textual fragments from contemporary sources. "It is as much an exercise of history as it is an experiment of alchemy." With preface from Warren Susman. (Roth 222-223). Near fine, with some minor fading to edges of purple cloth boards, in illustrated jacket with minor shelf-wear, else also near fine. A sharp copy. $650.00 14. Michel Majerus Michel Majerus: Kunsthalle Basel Basel: Kunsthalle Basel / Schwave & Co., 1996. First Edition. Slim octavo. Published on the occasion of Michel Majerus' first major international exhibition at Kunsthalle Basel and his only lifetime bookwork. Featuring a compendium of art historical excerpts (in German), a number of black-and-white reproductions of Majerus' works—including abstract pencil drawings atypical of his style—and color installation photographs. Minor scuffing to illustrated wrappers; near fine. $275.00 15. George and Mira Nakashima Nature, Form, & Spirit: The Life and Legacy of George Nakashima New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2003. First Edition. Oblong quarto. An impressive monograph on the designs of George Nakashima, written by his daughter Mira, herself the Creative Director of his Studio following his death. Contents: [276] pages; thoroughly illustrated after drawings and photographs, mostly color. Black cloth boards with minor bumping to corners; near fine. In near fine photo-illustrated jacket. $350.00 16. Pablo Picasso Guernica (Moderna Museet's Exhibition Catalogue No. 1) Stockholm: Moderna Museet, 1956. First Edition. Octavo. Catalogue for a traveling exhibition of Picasso's Guernica at the still under-construction Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm; "the roof had been removed, so the hall was covered with tarpaulins. The result was a dramatic setting well-suited to the painting and the entire project" (Pontus Hultén). Also exhibited, alongside Picasso's landmark work: dozens of his sketches and preparatory works, reproduced here in black-and-white, along with dozens of excerpts from contemporary reviews, in this very first catalogue from the Moderna Museet. With foreword from Otto Sköld presented in both Swedish and English translation, and an introductory text from Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler in French. Some edge-wear to folding wrappers, which reproduce the painting in panorama format, else a near fine copy. With loose Museum ephemera laid-in, including an invite to a later Jean Arp exhibition. $200.00 17. Ricky Powell Public Access: Ricky Powell Photographs, 1985–2005 (Signed) New York: powerHouse Books, 2005. First Edition. Quarto. SIGNED by Powell to title page in black marker ("Strand / NYC"). Thoroughly illustrated after Ricky Powell's street, concert, and fashion photography, mostly in color. Complemented by texts from Powell, along with Charlie Ahearn, Glenn O'Brien, Zoe Cassavetes, Zephyr, Quik, Dr. Revolt, and Team. Illustrated boards crisp and bright, with slight bump to lower corner; near fine. $500.00 18. Richard Prince London / Köln: Sadie Coles HQ / Walther König, 2003. First Edition. Octavo. INSCRIBED by Richard Prince—"Hey, I like the title American/English, but what's with my cover?"—and dated in the year of publication. Artist's book featuring numerous images of Prince's book collection in a variety of non-literary backgrounds, with the variant jackets of the American and English editions often presented side-by-side. Prince's introductory essay on book collecting is a must read. Published on the occasion of an exhibition at London's Sadie Coles HQ. Near fine in photo-illustrated wrappers. $750.00 19. Saul Steinberg and Ian Frazier Canal Street (Signed Limited Edition) New York: Library Fellows of the Whitney Museum of American Art, 1990. Limited Edition. Folio. Number 137 of 160 copies, SIGNED by both artist and writer to colophon. For the first volume of their American Journals series (as subset of their fundraising Artist and Writers series), the Whitney Museum of American Art commissioned Saul Steinberg to illustrate a meandering text from New Yorker staff writer Ian Frazier on the bustling history (and present) of Lower Manhattan's Canal Street. Featuring 16 tipped-in lithographs from Steinberg, along with two colored woodcuts. Leather spine with gilt lettering and yellow cloth boards. Some rubbing to head of spine, else near fine. In original cardstock slipcase. $2000.00 20. Kara Walker Chicago: The Renaissance Society at The University of Chicago, 1997. Quarto. An artist's catalogue produced by Kara Walker on the occasion of her exhibition "Presenting Negro Scenes Drawn Upon my Passage through the South and Reconfigured for the Benefit of Enlightened Audiences Wherever Such may be Found, by Myself, Missus K.E.B. Walker, Colored," at the Renaissance Society at The University of Chicago (Jan. 12 – Feb. 23, 1997). The catalogue reproduces Walker's cut-outs and watercolors from the exhibition, along with a number of installation views, interspersed with a series of provocative texts from Walker, exploring her "Inner Plantation." With vellum overlays throughout. One of 1000 copies. Minor scuffing to cloth boards, featuring remarkably fresh gold-leaf oval to front panel; near fine. $850.00 21. Tom Wood Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 1998. First Edition. Oblong quarto. A collection of photographs of Liverpool streets, transitioning from black-and-white to color, as captured from bus windows by Tom Wood across a fifteen year period of his local rides. (Parr / Badger, v2, 308). Near fine in cloth boards, in near fine illustrated jacket. $200.00 22. Francesca Woodman [Cinque Giovani Artisti] (Announcement Card) Roma: Ugo Ferranti, 1978. Announcement card (4 x 6 inches) for the exhibition "Cinque Giovani Artisti" at Rome's Ugo Ferranti gallery (opening Wed. June 18, 1978), in which Francesca Woodman's photographs were exhibited alongside the paintings and sculptures of four of her Italian contemporaries: Bruno Ceccobelli, Gianni Dessi, Giuseppe Gallo, and Angelo Ségneri. As she wrote in 1980: "While I was in Rome my Junior year, I began to work with the ideas that presently occupy me. I also met a number of Italian artists who shared similar concerns in other mediums. In June, we had a show at the Ugo Ferranti Gallery, my first exhibition in a prestigious gallery." Minor edge-wear, else near fine. $250.00 HARPER'S BOOKS HARPER'S CHELSEA 512 HARPER'S CHELSEA 534 HARPER'S APARTMENT HARPER'S EAST HAMPTON HARPER'S LOS ANGELES |