John Baldessari
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman., 1988
1852
3 volumes, edition of 400 printed by letterpress on cotton Curtis Ruysdael paper. This deluxe set includes a facsimile of the complete 620-page text and an accordion-bound volume of Baldessari's 39 double photo-collages printed by offset lithography in black and 7 colors. The page photo-collages can be viewed as 2-page spreads or unfolded to an almost 40-foot length. Overall size approximately 11 x 8 x 4.5 inches; signed by the artist on the colophon; designed and printed by Andrew Hoyem. Volume 1 is bound in 3/4 green calf over marbled paper, volume 2 is in green boards with accordion-style pages, and volume 3 is in green boards. The three volumes housed in publisher's slipcase; overall in excellent condition. A very handsome production of this American illustrated book which was exhibited in Baldessari's LA MoCA, retrospective. "The artist's carefully composed photo collages from cropped and rearranged press photographs, movie stills, documentary shots, and other sources (most of which date from the late 1950s and early 1960s) present Tristram Shandy in modern dress" - D. Stein,
Price Upon Request
John Baldessari
The Telephone Book (With Pearls), 1988
1704
8 1/4 x 5 3/4 in. (21 x 14.8 cm)
The book features a series of cropped movie stills depicting either a telephone or pearls. Signed and dated by the artist in pen. 62 pages, unpaginated, including 43 black and white illustrations, some with color spots. Gent, Belgium: Imschoot, Uitgevers for IC, 1988. First Edition. 8vo, wraps
Price Upon Request
John Baldessari
Throwing Three Balls in the Air to Get a Straight Line (Best of Thirty-Six Attempts), 1973
7463-BK
9 5/8 x 12 3/4 in. (24.7 x 32.7 cm)
Portfolio of fourteen photolithographs with letterpress printed paper folio cover and fourteen leaves, incorporating title sheet, twelve sheets of images, and colophon page.
Published by Giampaolo Prearo/Galleria Toselli, Milan
Edition of 2000 copies; all unsigned and unnumbered.
Price Upon Request
John Baldessari
Ingres and Other Parables, 1972
5663-BK
12 1/8 x 10 5/8 in. (30.8 x 27.1 cm)
10 black-and-white photographs. Cream saddle-sewn textured paper wrappers, text in black; tiny mark to cover. Circular punched hole at fore-edge as issued.
First edition of Baldessari’s first artists’ book, the format resembling a wall hanging calendar. In More Than You Wanted To Know ... Vol. 1 (2013) he explains: ‘This piece had its genesis from a notebook entry where I had written, “Tell stories like Jesus.” They were to be moral tales for young artists just out of school and ready to enter the art community. Pitfalls to avoid; tales for the art unwary.’
The ten parables, each of which is illustrated with a black-and-white photograph, are titled: ‘Ingres’, ‘The Contract’, ‘The Wait’, ‘The Neon Story’, ‘The Best Way To Do Art’, ‘Art History’, ‘The Great Artist’, ‘Two Artists’, ‘and The Visitor’.
Price Upon Request