FTN-blog

Embraced by the embrace of the quaint Greenville, South Carolina of the United States, and bidding farewell in Berlin, Germany, Emmett Williams, a versatile American poet and artist, hailed from Virginia. However, his love for Europe led him to spend most of his time there since 1949. He kickstarted his career by studying poetry under the impeccable John Crowe Ransom at Kenyon College and later pursued anthropology at the University of Paris.

Williams, a performance artist and the co-founder of the prominent Fluxus movement, joined forces with Robert Filliou, Daniel Spoerri, Joseph Beuys, and Claus Oldenburg. His legendary poetry assemblage, aptly titled “Sweethearts,” was published in the year 1966. With his innovative use of an 11×11 letter grid (the same number of letters as the word itself), he delves into the depths of the word “sweethearts,” experimenting with its different orientations – horizontal, vertical, as a rebus, and even in a cross. The book was even printed backwards to add to its eccentric charm, allowing readers to flip through it like a flip book. Notably, the cover of the book was designed by none other than Marcel Duchamp himself.

During the 1960s, Williams served as the European coordinator for Fluxus. In his own words, he encapsulated the essence of Fluxus: “Life is a work of art, and a work of art is life.” Fluxus saw life as a symphony, a symphonic process. The controversy surrounding Fluxus was not just limited to its bold and unique actions but, rather, the philosophy that drove it. The idea that anything could be turned into music was its defining and most convincing characteristic, establishing Fluxus as an entity of its own.

In Paris, he established Domaine Poetique and pioneered concrete poetry, using sound and graphic form to express thoughts and feelings rather than just linguistic verse.

Williams refers to this type of poetry as a return to the poem as an image. Through repetition and variations of words and shapes, a structural element is created, which was already present in the original poem. The resulting image goes beyond text, opening up new and more liberated possibilities.

From the very beginning, Williams saw Fluxus as a free platform to break away from the constraints of traditional art. This movement maintained a casual and open approach to life, rejecting the aesthetic norms of the past. Therefore, its happenings were primarily organic and international in nature. Unlike other groups, Fluxus did not have a prescribed aesthetic or dogma to unite diverse artists and forms of art. Instead, they focused on showcasing human thought and the spirit of the times, bringing it to life with an open, creative, and humorous mindset.

Williams maintained his distinct artistic connections and companionships with European creatives, showcasing a multitude of eccentric publications, versions, and showcases. In 1965, he joined forces with Robert Filliou for the “Pink Spaghetti Handshake,” a performance where both artists grasped a handful of spaghetti and shook hands. They later produced a print edition of this act. Another collaboration took place in 1971 with “Spaghetti Sandwich,” this time with the involvement of Daniel Spoerri as a publisher. Williams also shared a strong bond with Belgian artist Paul De Vree, known for publishing the visual and concrete poetry magazine “De Tafelronde.” De Vree’s pieces were featured in Williams’ “Anthology of Concrete Poetry,” while both artists were part of the 1965 International Concrete Poetry graphic art portfolio.

However, Fluxus did not solely focus on publications and artistic collaborations. The ethos of performance and action were of utmost importance. Manifestations in public were collective endeavors framed by ceremonial practices. Fluxus innovators were constantly seeking methods to subvert established norms and values. Curiously, each performance was intended to be entirely unique. Without overt political activism, the movement primarily strove for its undertakings to have a “disruptive” impact. Humor and the absurd were concealed around every corner. The artistic value lay in the context, rather than the so-called “work of art.”

In the true spirit of Duchamp – and long before Banksy’s self-destructing creation – Fluxus pondered if it could produce all its publications with disappearing ink on paper that would rapidly deteriorate.

Williams served as president of the International Künstler Museum in Łódź (Poland) until his passing in Berlin in 2007.

www.ftn-books.com has several important Williams publications and prints available.

Commencing from 1968, Noël chronicled her daily life in a diary, diligently recording every meeting, event, project, and exhibition until present. As a graphic artist, she began creating editions, Mail-art, large prints, and artist’s books while working in graphic workshops. She also became a participant in the Women’s Design-program at CAL Arts, a design-group that published ‘Broadsheet #1’ addressing feminism and design. Utilizing a grant from the National Endowments of the Arts, Noël printed multiple editions of prints by Emmett Williams from 1979 to 1980. She also served as a printmaker for visiting artists at Harvard University, including Jim Dine, Robert Motherwell, and Arthur Miller.

In the early 1980s, Noël delved into performance art through her involvement with the Fluxus Movement. In 1984, she performed ‘Spirale’ with Williams at the Academy die Künste in Berlin. The following year, she participated in the ‘Festival of Fantastics’ in Roskilde – a collaboration organized by Danish artist Eric Andersen. This event showcased the works of ten international Fluxus artists through a variety of events, performances, concerts, and actions throughout Roskilde and its surrounding area.

Noël collaborated with Francesco Conz in 1989 to create an edition on cloth and remade a piano that now resides in the Archivio Francesco Conz in Berlin. In 2008, she published a book with Conz featuring a handwritten record of all Fluxus events during the 1980s and 1990s.

Noël’s graphic work has received global recognition through international exhibitions. Stiftung Kunstfond in Bonn is currently supporting the publication of her Catalogue Raisonné, expected to release in 2022 and featuring works from throughout her life.

www.ftn-books.com has the ITS MY TURN print from 1990 now avilable,

A professional artist, Downsbrough honed his craft with a keen focus on the fundamental elements of architecture: lines, planes, and the relationship between spaces and the meanings they embody. His work was characterized by its simplicity and precision, utilizing minimal forms often created with black tape or painted lines to prompt viewers to reconsider their perception of space. He also explored the power of language in his art, strategically placing words and phrases in different, sometimes unexpected locations to elicit new interpretations and dialogues.

Downsbrough exhibited his work in both the United States and Europe, where he resided since 1989. His work has found a home in prominent museum collections, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the S.M.A.K. in Ghent. He was also renowned for his artist books, using text and line to create a dialogue between the physicality of the book and the conceptual space it offered.

www.ftn-books.com has several Downsbrough items for sale.

Originally from Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Mirella Bentivoglio was born on March 28, 1922, to Italian parents – Margherita Cavalli and Ernesto Bertarelli, a prominent scientist and doctor whose research on syphilis was pivotal in understanding the disease. Growing up in Milan, Mirella pursued her studies in the humanities as a polyglot in German-speaking Switzerland, where her family had moved due to her father’s work, as well as in England until the outbreak of World War II. In 1949, she married Ludovico Matteo Bentivoglio, adopting his last name for her artistic career, as well as for its poetic and verbo-visual significance. Her husband, a professor of Space Law, went on to become a renowned expert in diplomatic matters within the United Nations, particularly dealing with the complex relationships between nations in the rapidly expanding realm of outer space. The couple had three daughters – Marina (1950), Leonetta (1952), and Ilaria (1960). Mirella remained a widow until her passing in 1980, at the age of 95. She spent most of her life in Rome, where she died on March 23, 2017.

www.ftn-books.com has now the Bentivolglio LIFE print for sale.

Rity Jansen Heijtmajer engages in the movement of forms in space. This Amsterdam-based artist seeks to align herself with the classical constructivists through her reduced visual language. She was shaped by her studies at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, which she completed in the 1960s alongside other academic pursuits. Various grants gave her the courage to consistently develop her style and enabled her participation in exhibitions in the Netherlands and abroad.

Typically, Rity Jansen Heijtmajer opts for a square image format for her compositions, consisting of geometric color planes and shape elements. She requires minimal visual techniques and a limited color palette: dividing a square in half or quarters, mirroring a triangle along an axis or point, gradually reducing a rectangle to a square, and using complementary colors or varying shades within a single hue. In her acrylic paintings, she creates dynamics by alternating the role of the form as foreground or background and by incorporating transparency in the layers. To enliven the image, the artist does not hesitate to occasionally crop a geometric shape along the edge of the painting or slightly offset it. This approach provokes the viewer’s sense of harmony and stimulates their involvement with the piece.

www.ftn-books.com has now an original screen print by Jansen Hejtmejer available.

James Hugonin, a renowned painter and educator hailing from Barnard Castle in County Durham, began his artistic journey at the prestigious Winchester School of Art, West Surrey College of Art and Design in Farnham, and finally at Chelsea School of Art. He eventually went on to teach at Chelsea and other esteemed institutions in the northeast of England. Hugonin was a part of the renowned Newcastle Group of artists and was featured in the South Bank Centre’s touring exhibition, titled “The Presence of Painting,” in the years 1988-1989. Notable solo exhibitions of his work include showcases at Galerie Brigitte Hilger in Aachen in 1983, Graeme Murray Gallery and Bede Gallery in 1985, and Galerie Hoffman in Friedberg in 1987.

Hugonin’s artistic style deviated from the prevalent free and gestural painting that surrounded him during his time at art school in the 1970s. He strived to strike a balance between complexity and simplicity in his work, resulting in a textured and rhythmic visual representation that could be likened to music. His pieces exuded a Zen-like tranquility that left a lasting impact on the viewer. However, due to his meticulous approach to his craft, Hugonin was known to complete only one painting per year. This was evident in the minimalistic display of his work spanning three years at the Ingleby Gallery in Edinburgh in 2002.

In 2006, Hugonin curated an exhibition titled “James Hugonin and Ian Stephenson: And our eyes scan Time” at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. The show featured twelve of Hugonin’s paintings from the years 1992 to 2005, showcased in a single room, while the rest of the gallery was dedicated to the work of his teacher and lifelong inspiration, Ian Stephenson. The Arts Council holds a collection of Hugonin’s work. The artist lived in the serene and secluded Cheviot Hills in Wooler, Northumberland, with his wife, Sarah Hugonin, who was also an accomplished artist.

www.ftn-books.com has now a Hugonin print available.

A producer of systematic artworks and sculptures, hailing from the city of London. In the year 1977, he created a sequence of sculptures that were sponsored by the Southern Arts Council. Bell’s fascination lay in the organization of elements, specifically the correlation between colors, its syntax, and manifestation evident in the act of producing paintings and supporting literature. In addition to participating in collaborative theorizing, Bell made contributions to noteworthy shows including the 1979 exhibition of Künstlerbücher held at Galerie Lydia Megert in Switzerland; The House Construction Show at House in 1981; Colour Presentations presented at Gardner Centre Gallery, Sussex University with a tour in 1986; and Complexions at Galerie L’Idee in Zoetermeer, Netherlands, and at Dean Clough, Halifax in 1989. The Arts Council is a repository of Bell’s artistic creations.

www.ftn-books.com has now a Bell print available for sale.

Ian Tyson, a distinguished professor, painter, printmaker, and book artist, was born in Wallasey, Cheshire, England in 1933. Raised in Upton, outside of Birkenhead, Tyson spent his early years with his grandparents near Wigan during the tumultuous World War II. With graduation under his belt, he ventured into the shipyards as an apprentice engineer, but soon realized his true calling was in creating art independently. Eager to hone his craft, he pursued further studies at the prestigious Birkenhead School of Art and the renowned Royal Academy Schools in London.

Expanding his horizons, Tyson taught drawing and printmaking at the esteemed Farnham School of Art from 1959 to 1966, and the renowned St. Martin’s School of Art from 1964 to 1984. He also shared his knowledge as a visiting professor at the Royal College of Art, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and the University of California at San Diego. He was also honored as a Brinkley Fellow at the esteemed Norwich School of Art in England.

In 1961, Tyson’s first solo show was displayed at the Ashgate Gallery in Farnham, and his exceptional talent was recognized with first prize at the Welsh Arts Council St. David’s exhibition in 1964. He has since exhibited in over fourteen solo shows and thirty group exhibitions all across Europe. His contributions to the book arts are commendable, encompassing graphics, design, publishing, and typography. To bridge contemporary art and literature, Tyson established the renowned Tetrad Press (1970-1995). His quest began with poetry, collaborating with numerous esteemed poets on multiple publications. The unparalleled Ian Tyson Collection at the revered British Library is the most extensive public collection of books pertaining to Tyson’s work in Europe. The Ian Tyson Collection at the University of California at San Diego also houses numerous production materials by Tyson and prominent poets.

www.ftn-books.com has now a fantastic Tyson print available.

I have worked in many varied fields within the arts for fifty years as a performer, teacher, theatre designer, prop maker, production and project advisor, gallery director and curator and workshop coordinator.

My life long interest in making from salvaged elements has its roots in post war Britain, a time of austerity and uncertainty. My parents were politically and socially conscious, northern working class people and highly creative. They acquired skills out of necessity.

I trained as a dancer at the Ballet Rambert School under Dame Marie Rambert, dancing with her company in the sixties and, later, performing for other companies in Europe.

In 1967 I married dancer-choreographer Christopher Bruce.

My visual art studies began in 1975. I was privileged to be tutored by Prunella Clough during my M.A degree in Printmaking at Wimbledon School of Art. Cutting and carving wood blocks lead me into carpentry and the three dimensional world eventually connected me with stage and costume design.

My practice is solitary and silent, similar in nature to the “Outsider” artists in its obsessive nature. Certain creators challenge and inform my making; their convictions sustain and support my intention to chart my own territory without constraint: they are, amongst others, Eva Hesse, Doris Salcedo, Michel Nedjar, Judith Scott, Miroslaw Balka, Louise Bourgeois and Ron Mueck.

Much of my visual art work has focused on the plight of the oppressed and the complex vulnerability of humanity, acknowledging the courage of damaged and desperate people in crisis worldwide.

Creative activity nurtures essential life enhancing attributes: curiosity, imagination, resourcefulness and independence – benefits which cannot be measured.

I invite a the viewer to engage, interpret and, hopefully, experience their own new perspectives.

www.ftn-books.com has now a relief print by Bruce for sale.

John Goodyear was an artist who was born in Los Angeles, California in the year 1930 and eventually settled in Grosse Ile, Michigan. He taught at the University of Michigan in Grand Rapids from 1956 to 1962. During this time, while painting his house, Goodyear conceived the idea of creating art in the third-dimension. This led to the creation of works that straddle the line between painting and sculpture, incorporating moving parts that invite the viewer to interact. In 1962, he was awarded a grant from the Graham Foundation, which allowed him to teach at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst for two years.

While at UMass, Goodyear prepared a collection of works for the grant, which would later become his first solo exhibition at the Amel Gallery in New York in 1964. These three-dimensional paintings featured suspended open grids with canvases adorned with patterns. These kinetic constructions quickly gained recognition from prestigious museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, all in 1965. In 1966, Goodyear was featured in three separate exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

www.ftn-books.com has now a Godyear screen print for sale.