Category: Geen categorie

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Panamarenko— Lost and Found

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

It must have been over 10 years ago that me and Linda visited Brussel and went to the Koninklijk Paleis voor Schone Kunsten. In the bookstore i found 2 prints by Panamarenko which i bought both. These prints featured 35 inventions by Panamarenko and were signed and stamped in print by Panamarenko which made them beautiful works of art to frame and cherish. One was sold shortly after i put it up for sale on eBay /USA, but the other which was sold immediately after i had sold the first one and raised the price substantially, was lost in the process of archiving it. What happened with it….i do not know, but i could not deliver it , because it was lost and i could not find it anymore.

Last week, when i was looking for some Christmas decorations, i noticed a white tube and i immediately knew…. I found the lost PANAMARENKO/ Copyright print.

It is now for sale on eBay and in my shop www.ftn-books.com

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Suzy Embo (1936) and Louise Nevelson (continued)

 

Suzy Embo

Artist, photographer, wife… Behind the artist name Suzy Embo (BE, °1936) lies a privileged witness to the post-War Belgian avant-garde. Embo’s abstract images, camera-free experiments, graphic and high-contrast photographs connect her with the Subjektive Fotografie (Subjective Photography) of Otto Steinert, who used pure photographic techniques for the sake of personal expression.

In the 1960s, her work underwent a sea change: from “artiste photographe” to “photographe d’artistes”. Embo befriended Cobra artist Pierre Alechinsky, married the sculptor Reinhoud d’Haese and lived together with them in La Bosse, an artists’ commune northwest of Paris. Alongside her personal artistic work, she trained her lens on the international art scene (including such figures as Pierre Alechinsky, Christian Dotremont, Corneille, Hannoset, Karel Appel, Pol Bury, André Breton, Jacques Ledoux and Félix Labisse). The photographer created informal, intimate portraits, recorded artists at work, collaborated on projects and documented previews, plays, dance performances and other events.

Why again a  blog on this photographer? 2 reasons. The first…. Suzy Embo got recognized as one of the great Belgian photographers after WWII with the large retrospective which ended last month in Belgium and secondly because www.ftn-books.com sells an original Suzy Embo photo of Louise Nevelson and i believe that this is one of the great Embo photgraphs that deserves to be known worldwide

Posted on by — Leave a comment

The ultimate Christmas Tree by Paul McCarthy

For those of you that are interested in the news start reading the Guardian , a truly excellent newspaper and one that has a great perspective on modern art. Because i was looking for a special Christmas Tree i found this one by Paul McCarthy on the place Vendome /Paris .

Schermafbeelding 2017-11-17 om 14.51.22

An inflatable work of art resembling a large green tree. His work is not unfamiliar with us dutch , because in Rotterdam there is statue of a Gnome holding a giant butt plug and it is somewhat similar to the one presented in Paris. The difference is of course the figure holding the plug which is only present in the permanent statue presented in Rotterdam.

Schermafbeelding 2017-11-17 om 14.44.42

Because Christmas is near and you probably have some spare time please bookmark this page:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2014/oct/20/paul-mccarthy-paris-tree-sculpture-butt-plug-controversy

and start reading the great article on Paul McCarthy in the Guardian.

Merry Christmas

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Alan Charlton (1948)… monochromes in grey

Schermafbeelding 2017-11-01 om 16.12.47

For me Alan Charlton stands for British Minimalism. Characterized by the color Grey, he makes constructivist shaped monochrome paintings. This is in short how you can describe the works  by Alan Charlton. There were not many occasions that i have seen his works in Museums, but i remember at least to have seen three times his works. First at the van Abbemuseum, secondly at the Stedelijk Museum and thirdly at the Tate Modern. On all three occasions i thought these works were magnificent. I saw these works quite some time apart from each other, over a period of over 15 years they were viewed, but I always was impressed with the monochrome grey’s, each slightly different from each other making these a true color scale of grey’s.

Schermafbeelding 2017-11-01 om 16.20.01

They blend into their space and because of their monotony and regular shapes they become a part of the room they are exhibited in. It takes some time to appreciate them , but once you do , there are few more exciting paintings and therefore better artists than Alan Charlton, who makes these wonders in grey.

Alan Charlton titles are available at www.ftn-books.com

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Jean Dewasne (1921-1999) a very special print

Schermafbeelding 2017-10-31 om 15.47.12

Before i visited for the first time the Quadrat Museum in Bottrop i never had seen many Jean Dewasne paintings. Yes there were a few in Brussels and Antwerp, but as many as there were in Bottrop was new to me. It made me realize that Dewasne was arguably one of the most influential and important Belgian painters from the last century and the Josef Albers/ Quadrat museum recognized his importance by holding a large retrospective on him in 1991.

I depicted the poster of this exhibition in this blog , because it is very special. The poster is a specially designed silkscreen and available at www.ftn-books.com

Not only the silkscreen exhibition print is special but also the catalogue with the 1991 exhibition contains 3 small silkscreens within , making this a true artist book. Since my visit of the Dewasne exhibition i always have been admiring him and i am still wondering why he has not become the great name in art he deserves to be.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

The collection by Salco Tromp Meesters and the JCJ Vanderheyden (1928-2012)

Schermafbeelding 2017-10-31 om 15.22.05.png

Like  last weeks auction of the Klein Breteler collection, Salco Tromp Meesters decided that he had to sell his collection because he could not find a proper location for the 770 works to be preserved and shown. At one time there was the Congresgebouw in Den Haag who exhibited the collection, but this location ended when a valuable Schoonhoven painting was stolen from the building. The 770 works were practically all sold during auction in 1990 and one of them was a beautiful J.Cj. Vanderheyden. An early “pop art” like painting which i tried to acquire for my own collection, but was far from successful because the end price went way to high. What i remember about the painting is there were several mirrors fixed to the canvas and one of the painted object was a Citroen 2VC. I looked for the painting on Google but still can not find it. I every much would like to know its whereabouts, because for me this is one of the most iconic JCJ. van der Heyden paintings ever. Of course www.ftn-books.com has the most important JCJ. van der Heyden catalogues from the last 40 years available.

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Gerhard Richter (1932)

Schermafbeelding 2017-10-31 om 14.07.23

A grand old master from the German art scene from last century.

Here is how his own biography is starting on the Gerhard Richter site. This is one of the best biographies on the internet because it covers all Richter’s history starting in his early years and finishing in the present.

Gerhard Richter was born to Horst and Hildegard Richter in Dresden on February 9, 1932. Having married the year before, Gerhard was their first child, with a daughter, Gisela, arriving in 1936. Horst Richter, with whom Gerhard did not have a close relationship, was a teacher at a secondary school in Dresden.1 Hildegard was a bookseller and, like her father, a talented pianist. She was passionate about literature, and passed on her enthusiasm and knowledge to the young Gerhard. They were, in many respects, an average middle-class family. In an interview with Robert Storr Richter described his early family life as “simple, orderly, structured – mother playing the piano and the father earning money”

Find the rest of this very extensive biography at :

https://www.gerhard-richter.com/en/biography

and for Gerhard Richter publications visit www.ftn-books.com

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948)…. Die Scheuche. Märchen. (1925)

Schermafbeelding 2017-10-30 om 15.31.17

This blog is on a book  i recently sold . The perfect reprint from 1980, but when i searched for it i found it to be no longer available anywhere, so I decided to photograph the pages before i shipped it to my customer in Switzerland and make it available in this Blog . It is one of the great books/ designs from last century:

Die Scheuche. Märchen. by Kurt Schwitters

Next year i will publish another blog on Kurt Schwitters , but to emphasize the importance of this publication i give you an integral version in this blog….enjoy!

and for other Schwitters books visit www.ftn-books.com

scheuche a.JPG

scheuche b.JPG

scheuche c.JPG

scheuche d.JPG

scheuche e.JPG

scheuche g.JPG

scheuche h.JPG

scheuche j.JPG

 

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Joost Swarte ….. Correspondentie / 1985

This is  a set i bought in 1985 and forgot completely….until….. I opened a shoebox of mine and found the mini portfolio by Franck Izard  ( see www.ftn-books.com) , opened it  and within the portfolio there was this CORRESPONDENTIE set by Joost Swarte. Still completely sealed and in pristine condition. To see which cards were within the set i opened it very carefully with a very sharp knife and discovered 5 different small note cards, printed an greenish/grey paper and a set of 5 old fashioned envelopes. The attention to detail is so typical for Joost Swarte. The set is in Mint condition and i decided to offer it for sale at www.ftn-books.com. This is a true collectors edition , but for those that only want the pictures ….here are a few pictures.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Vasarely …Naissances, 1968

 

Schermafbeelding 2017-10-16 om 16.51.35

Galerie Der Spiegel in Koln, made a 1968 a memorable publication with Victor Vasarely. Naissances is such a book you will cherish for a long time and find it with each viewing more interesting. The book contains one card whcih can be held behind the tranparent printed pages making each page a different kinetic work of art, plus the book contains two signed and numbered serigraphs which make it even more valuable. I tried to find another copy on the interenet, but it looks like i am the only bookseller who can offer this very special book now. It is not cheap… but i can assure you it is fascinating!

https://ftn-books.com/products/victor-vasarely-naissances-ltd-ed-450-incl-2-signed-serigraphs-1968-mint

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA