KRISTJAN GUDMUNDSSON, Cause and Consequence, 1976

KG1976causeandconsequence-recto700

KRISTJAN GUDMUNDSSON, Cause and Consequence, 1976
23 x 17 x 2 cm, 3 parts
Tipp-Ex correction paper on coloured paper, original framing
edition 10
published by the artist, Amsterdam

 

Kristján Gudmundsson likes to see ‘the snake biting in its tail’ one could say. He is fascinated by closed logics after a simple work concept has been set. In Cause and Consequence (1976) he divided a square in three equal parts by drawing two horizontal lines. Then he decided to draw one line vertically, resulting in a correction paper transfer of six equal parts. In this first stage the effect is two lines and one broken line. On the second and third sheet of paper he did the same, yet in a different order. As a consequence the visual effect varies. Within the parameters of the concept all possible variations come to an end. KvG

In 1977 this work was for the first time shown in ‘Ça va, ça va’ in Centre George Pompidou, Paris, France. Three Icelandic artists Hreinn Fridfinnsson, Kristján Gudmundsson and his brother Sigurdur Gudmundsson showed together their works in ‘Les Galeries’ on the ground floor of the museum.

KG1976causeandconsequence-verso700

GÜNTHER BRUS, Der Trauermantel, 1976

GÜNTHER BRUS, Der Trauermantel, 1976
30,7 x 21,5 cm
screen print
signed, dated
edition unknown
not available

The lower part of ‘Der Trauermantel’ is the base of a DIY sculpture to be made of cut outs of the upper part of the print. In this way two cardboard pedestals on top of each other may be created.

KRISTJAN GUDMUNDSSON, Once around the sun – Vol. I + II, 1975

KRISTJAN GUDMUNDSSON, Once around the sun; Volume I and II, 1975
each 26,3 x 26,7 x 6 cm
offset, SC, book object, 2 volumes
edition 150, only ca 6-8 were made
signed, numbered
first hand bound edition
published by Silver Press, Reykjavik / Amsterdam
extremely rare
Collection Kees van Gelder, Amsterdam
€ 10.000,- plus courier costs
inv.KG 000-pr

This edition consists of two volumes that is hand bound (Lümbeck method) by Kristján Gudmundsson while he was living in Daniel Stalpertstraat, Amsterdam during the seventies. One book object contains parallel horizontal lines on each page. The second volume contains hundreds of full stops on each page. Both books are three times thicker than the reprinted version by Ottenhausen Verlag in 1982. The front page states that each line is equal to seconds, id est all lines together represent the total amount of 29,771 meters it takes for the earth to once orbit around the sun; equal to one year.
In 1976 the artist made volume II making use of the notion ‘time’ using dots instead of lines to visualize the length of the orbit around the sun. The front page states that each point is equal to a second. All points together represent the amount of seconds it takes for the earth to once orbit around the sun.

The production of this self published book by Silver Press – owned by the artist – was very laborious and definitely no more than 8 copies were made. In 1982 Ottenhausen Verlag in Aachen / Munich, Germany, took over the project and published 100 copies which were less voluminous than the original book object hand made by the artist. With the reprint the width of the spine of each volume is shrunken to almost half of its size, making the work less sculptural than the original.

History of price:
Antiquariat Übü, Zurich, Switzerland, June 2022 US$ 4,101.88 (2nd edition, unsigned as issued)

Extra information:

KRISTJAN GUDMUNDSSON, Once around the sun, 1982
each 27,6 x 27 x 3,5 cm
offset, 2 volumes in slipcase
edition 100
SC, book, 2nd ed.
published by Ottenhausen Verlag, Aachen / München 1982

History of prices:
Antiquariat Uebue, Zurich, Switzerland US$ 4,101.88 June 2022 2nd edition (unsigned as issued)
Boekie Woekie, Amsterdam € 4.000,00 February 2022 2nd edition (unsigned as issued)
Boekie Woekie, Amsterdam € 1.600,00 November 2012 2nd edition (unsigned as issued)

Stempelboek / Book of stamps, 1975 – Ken Friedman, John Armleder

BookofStampsPvBeveren350

Stempelboek / Book of stamps, 1975
30 x 21 x 2 cm
edition 51 + 39 HC
published by Brummense uitgeverij van Luxe Werkjes / Jan Brand, Arnhem – Peter van Beveren, Middelburg
not available

This artists book with hand made stamps has been made in co-operation with the Kunstinformatiecentrum in Middelburg run by Peter van Beveren. Some of the 34 contributions are signed a.o. Tim Ulrichs, Marten Hendriks, Hans Werner Kalkman, Robert Jacks, Ken Friedman, Klaus Groh, Uwe Kreutzfeld, John Armleder, Ben Sleeuwenhoek, Endre Tot and Woody van Amen. A few pages are slightly wrinkled due to the technique of stamping.

JOHN M ARMLEDER, Niente, purtroppo!, 1975

JOHN ARMLEDER, Niente, purtroppo!, 1975
20,8 x 14,6 cm
SC, 20 pp.
edition 650 + 50 signed
here not signed
published by Edition Galerie Gaëtan and Écart publications, Geneva, Switzerland
condition: fine, although slightly yellowed on spine
€ 140,- plus € 15,- Track & Trace registered EU mail
inv.JMA 279-pr

On top of the edition of 650 an extra 50 copies are signed, i.e. 10 signed, dated and numbered I – X by the artist and participants, incl. original documents and 40 signed, dated and numbered 1 – 40.

History of prices:
Julia J Agius, Geneva, Switzerland, March 2023 SFr 170,-
Laurence McGilvery, La Jolla, CA, USA, 7 July 2022 US$ 150.-
Anartist, New York, USA, 7 July 2022 US$ 100.-

KRISTJAN GUDMUNDSSON, Once around the sun – Vol. I, 1975

KRISTJAN GUDMUNDSSON, Once around the sun – Volume I, 1975
26,3 x 26,7 x 6 cm
offset, SC, book object hand bound by the artist
edition 150, extremely rare, only ca 6-8 were produced
signed, numbered
published by Silver Press, Reykjavik / Amsterdam
Collection Kees van Gelder, Amsterdam
Margin Scheme

This book is a by Kristjan Gudmundsson hand made object while he was living in Daniel Stalpertstraat, Amsterdam during the seventies. The book object contains hundreds of full stops on each page and is three times thicker than the reprinted version by Ottenhausen Verlag in 1982. The front page states that each point is equal to a second. All points together represent the amount of seconds it takes for the earth to once orbit around the sun. In 1976 the artist made volume II making use of the notion ‘space’ using lines instead of full stops to visualize the orbit of the earth around the sun in length.

The production of this self published book by Silver Press – owned by the artist – was very laborious and no more than circa 8 copies were made. In 1982 Ottenhausen Verlag in Aachen / Munich, Germany, took over the project and published 100 copies which were less voluminous than the original book object hand made by the artist. With the reprint the width of the spine of each volume is shrunken to almost half of its size, making the work less sculptural than the original.

KRISTJAN GUDMUNDSSON, Once around the sun, 1982
each 27,6 x 27 x 3,5 cm
offset, two books in slipcase
edition 100
SC, book, 2nd ed.
published by Ottenhausen Verlag, Aachen / München 1982

History of prices:
Boekie Woekie Amsterdam € 4.000,00 March 2024 (2nd edition, set with water damage)
Boekie Woekie Amsterdam € 4.000,00 February 2022 (2nd edition, set with water damage)
Boekie Woekie Amsterdam € 1.600,00 November 2012 (2nd edition)

KRISTJAN GUDMUNDSSON, Orsök og Afleiðing, 1974 [Cause and Consequence]

KRISTJAN GUDMUNDSSON, Orsök og Afleiðing [Cause and Consequence], 1974
32,5 x 33,3 cm (12,5 x 21,5)
Tipp-Ex correction paper on coloured paper, original frame
vintage edition
edition 10, here number 1/10
numbered, dated and framed behind acrylic glass by the artist in 1974
personal signature: Til Þoru og Kees, frá Kidda og Mísu’
published by the artist, Amsterdam
p.o.r., Margin Scheme

In the seventies corrections on the typemachine could be made with the help of prefabricated paper correction strips of Tipp-Ex. Kristján Gudmundsson used these strips couvered with a film of chalk to make drawings. He told me that he was intrigued by the fact that the result of the zigzagging lines he drew could not be detected on the strip from which he drew the lines with a ruler. He said: ‘The strip doesn’t have any memory of how they were drawn’, i.e. on the coloured paper in both a parallel and diagonal way, as shown above. Hence the title.

This copy is the very first one out of an edition of ten. As soon as the first one was ready and framed it was given to us as a gift in Daniel Stalpertstraat in Amsterdam, a place we frequently visited in the early seventies. KvG

History of price:
Galleri i8, Reyjavík, Iceland November 2021 € 3.800,- (edition behind acrylic glass frame)