THIERRY DE CORDIER, Les Fragments d’Héraclite selon Thierry De Cordier, 2015
22 x 13,9 cm
artist’s book, 170 pp., guilt edged, French text
numbered
edition 300, here nr 103/300
pristine, sealed as published
published by Salon Verlag, Cologne, Germany
inv. ThDeCor 303
THIERRY DE CORDIER, Les Fragments de Héraclite selon Thierry de Cordier, 2015
Belgian artist Thierry De Cordier (1954) was once gifted a small book with the hand written title ‘Heracleitos’ on the cover. The booklet, barely eight pages, contained Dutch translations of texts by Heraclitus, a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher whose original writings are lost and who is only known through the quotations of later authors. At the time, De Cordier read these ‘Fragments of Heraclitus’ superficially without giving them much thought. He put away the book, probably a Dutch translation of Heraclitus by Laurens Vancrevel with artwork by Rik Lina, and forgot about it until it surfaced when he moved house. Reading Heraclitus again after all those years De Cordier found himself captivated by the quotations, sometimes no more than a couple of words, of the philosopher of change (‘no man steps in the same river twice’) and unification of opposites (‘the path up and down are one and the same’). De Cordier started to retranslate the Dutch texts in his native French trying to find a way to combine philosophical and poetic language. It took him more than a full winter to complete the work. De Cordier’s translations were published in 2015 without any comments, footnotes or illustrations in Salon Verlag’s ‘Ex Libris’ series, in which artists are invited to reprint their favourite books.
JOHN M ARMLEDER, Untitled, 1998 [spirograph drawing]
34,8 x 49,8 cm (frame: 53,1 x 38,2 cm)
colour pencil, lead pencil
unique series of 25 unique spirograph drawings + 10 AP
published by Edition Franz Mäder, Basel, Switzerland
€ 8.400,- plus € 32,- Track & Trace registered mail
This is a drawing with the appearance of a print.
Before John Armleder made this drawing he first provided the paper with a blind imprint of an etching plate. He then used a spirograph to make each time a unique drawing in this series of twenty five sometimes very different drawings. Every time, at a certain point he left the utensil uncontrolled run over the paper creating a most surprising juggler’s lightness of the lines.
He once stated that for him when he has to think about how to make something, it is in the end every time no more than a performance. Here in this drawing, it is without any doubt. In spite of its uniqueness each drawing has been numbered as if it concerns a traditional etching; hence it’s etching-like fragile thin line appearance and its blind plate imprint. This is certainly one of the most light hearted and musical drawings John Armleder probably ever made.
De Kunstkraai, 1988 [tabloid]
42 x 29 cm
offset, tabloid, 8 pp.
edition unknown
very good condition, due to aging slightly yellowed
De Kunstkraai was published in May 1988 during the Dutch artfair Amsterdam KunstRai and meant as a magazine with gossip and slander on the Dutch art scene.
Commentaar op bespreking van journalist Renée Steenbergen op de eerste solotentoonstelling van JOHN M ARMLEDER in Nederland:
MAN RAY, Self portrait, 1974
69,7 x 99,5 cm
offset, triptych
folded for mailing as issued
publisher Studio Marconi, Milano, Italy
sculptural poster as self portrait designed by the artist
condition: three tiny wears in center due to folding as sent
uncommon, not mentioned in the Junko and Teruo Ishihara collection
(excluding handmade wooden reader’s desk)
€ 180,- plus € 12,- Track & Trace registered mail
inv.MRay 198-pr
In his fifties Man Ray shaved half his face for the above self-portrait. Francis Naumann has suggested that this act may have referred to Man Ray’s duel identity as an American artist with strong ties in Europe. He was living in Hollywood at the time he took the photograph in 1942, and would return with his wife Juliet to Paris in 1951 to spent the rest of his life.
This large triptych print was published as an announcement for a work called Autoritratto (23 x 18 cm), a signed and numbered photo edition of 23 copies – together with a biographical text and an archivist’s note in pencil with the name of the artist. Not discoloured copy!
History of price:
Studio Bibliografico Marini, Valenzano, Italy January 2026 € 200,-
Mouvements – rue Visconti, Paris, France January 2026 € 100 (verso repaired tear)
L’Arengario – Studio Bibliografico, Cellatica, Italy February 2025 € 250
Mouvements – rue Visconti, Paris, France February 2025 € 100 (verso repaired tear)
Casa d’Aste, Brescia, Italy February 2025 estimate € 200 – € 300
MAN RAY, Self Portrait, 1965
24 x 17 x 4 cm
book, biography, ill.
1st edition, hand signed in pencil
published by Little Brown & Company Ltd, Canada in association with Atlantic Monthly Press
mylar protection cover
dust cover on lower front side has tiny chips; for the rest more than very good
very rare in this state
€ 500,- plus € 18,- Track and Trace registered mail
inv.MRay 305
History of price:
Mungobooks, Poole, UK January 2025 US$ 1,244.-
Brooklyn Rare Books, Brooklyn, New York USA January 2026 US$ 900.-
JESSICA STOCKHOLDER, Place mats, 2002
each 35,6 x 26,7 cm / 10 1/2 x 14 inches
pack of 100 double-sided paper place mats
offset
edition 1000
mint condition
published by The Renaissance Society / University of Chicago, Chicago, USA
inv.JStoc 299
History of prices:
Unoriginalsins.co.uk, Midlothian, UK June 2023 GBP 45.-
The Renaissance Society, Chicago, USA June 2022 US$ 30.-
Artware, New York, USA July 2016 US$ 40.-
The Renaissance Society, Chicago, USA January 2012 US$ 30.-
GENERAL IDEA, Eye of the Beholder, 1988
23 x 20,8 x 0,5 cm
chenille embroidery on crest-shaped felt
edition ca 100
mint
€ 675,- plus € 18,- Track & Trace registered EU mail
This multiple was published in 1988 and is part of the MoMA collection in New York: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/125826
Extra information
In 2010 a special museum archive boxed edition of 26 + 4 AP was issued and signed by AA Bronson for the Estate of General Idea and includes the following crests:
Down the Drink, 1988/2010
Le Fin, 1988/2010
Ouroboros, 1988/2010
Phoenix with a P, 1988/2010
Post Mortem, 1988/2010;
When the Fur Flies, 1988/2010
Eye of the Beholder, 1988/2010
Lucre, 1989/2010
Cartouché, 1991/2010
Passion Over Reason, 1991/2010
Related information
Special Museum Archive box
chenille embroidery on crest-shaped felt
edition 26 + 4 AP
24 x 21 x 0,5 cm
published by Kunsthalle, Zürich, Switzerland for patrons only who support the Kunsthalle Zürich with CHF 1.000 per year.
History of price:
Artsy-Caviar20, Toronto, Canada February 2024 US$ 2,000.- (Make an offer)
TAKAKO SAITO, Hutschachspiel, 1990
ca 16,5 x 21,5 x 27 cm
grey bowler hat, gouache, wooden chess pieces
signed, numbered, dated
edition 10 + 2 AP
sold
The edition Hutschachspiel comes in the colour black. There is an AP edition of 2 that comes in grey; here number AP 2/2. The miniature set of wooden chess pieces are put on a tiny hand painted chess board pattern.
JOHN LIGGINS, Elemental Actions, 1974
10,1 x 14,3 cm
stenciled print, ink, hand stamped
artist’s publication, 4 pp. (+ cover)
edition unknown
published by In-Out Productions, Amsterdam
very good
inv.JLig 000-pr
BILL MITCHELL, Azonic II – A drawing by Bill Mitchell, n.d. [ca 1978]
19,9 x 15 cm
thread, plastic pages, tape, artist’s book, SC, 16 pp.
published in Newton Abbot, Devon, England
pristine condition
This artist’s book was published in two versions. Here “Azonic II” comes with a foul red cover and contains 16 pages. “Azonic I” was published in ca 1974 and has 26 pages with a foul blue cover.
