Page 46 - Studio International - September 1972

each tray, an edition of twenty, each just under
£600; or if that is too much, ninety-five copies
of Weekend, a case with objects and graphics for
about £125 each.
I was somewhat heartened by the
Marks-Grafik published by Art Intermedia of
Cologne specially for the Berlin Fair—ten
offset-litho prints by ten different artists,
including Beuys, all individually signed in an
edition of one thousand for DMio each—that is
about £m the lot.
On the other hand I was rather shaken to
see the work of one of the true pioneers of
multiples, Man Ray, in de luxe editions of nine.
After all in his autobiography he talks of having
`no compunction' in endlessly reproducing one
of his objects since, as he says, 'An important
book or musical score is not destroyed by
burning it. Only a collector who was acquiring
the object for speculative reasons would
hesitate to add it to his collection'. The Man
Ray editions by Unida of the Hague, in bronze
and silver, and the superb book of photographs
Mr and Mrs Woodman, nine in a special edition
with wooden manikins, are beautifully
stands in Berlin. Whether the subject matter produced and highly desirable but they have
was sex, politics, war or class divisions, the nothing to do with 'multiplied art'.
point of view was neither as sharp as in The Berlin Fair, in fact, suffered from this
Grosz nor as well executed technically as the complete lack of definition. Its terms of
German print tradition would presuppose. reference were both too broad and fuzzy. Of the
Three-dimensional objects lend themselves less sixty-eight dealers or publishers, of whom
readily to commentary, but even in these most forty-seven were German, only twenty could
German publishers and artists floundered in a be said to be involved with the problem of
mixture of sentimentality and childishness, multiples. Some of the German sources
weak Dadaistic gestures. displayed excellent objects but invariably in
Eat-Art of Dusseldorf deals literally in editions even smaller than their graphics. There
objects made from food—Arman's collage of are certainly economic and technical reasons
marzipan thighs, Cesar's famous Thumb, why without marketing outlets it is precarious
king-size, in sugar, Dieter Rot's images in to over-produce; but why limit in advance the
chocolate, cheese, even rabbit-shit. This kind fine stainless steel constructions of Amadeo
of 'delicatessen' makes its Dadaistic point, but Gabino (Art in Progress, Konstanz) when they
far too easily; and for someone as squeamish as could be manufactured according to demand ?
myself a line had to be drawn at Weseler's This hesitancy also applies to Edition
Atemobjekt. This consists of the quarter of a Modern Art Gallery of Berlin which showed
huge brown loaf to which is attached (even as I some of the best objects at the Fair, notably a
write I find it incredible) the skin of an animal Plexiglas construction by Luther/Uecker, but
(rabbit ?) simulating breathing by a mechanized with only twenty copies, selling at about £350.
device. Equally original is Kiimmel of Cologne Similarly Decker's impressive Table at Object
devoted to variations of foot fetishism, often Art Düsseldorf costing £400 in the slightly
amusing, and in many cases preferable to larger edition of one hundred. The point is,
Stolpeverlag, with its predominance of simple why fix the edition ?
toys. In contrast, there were the well-known
A typical Beuys multiple was a roughly made Berrocal `dismantables', shown by Orangerie,
wooden tray entitled Intuition, which at least Cologne, and an even more pointed object
had the merit of being part of Vice-Versand's lesson from Euro-Art of Vienna with a small
unlimited series selling for about £ 1.50p. René Wotruba metal sculpture in an edition of one
Block, a young and highly intelligent Berlin thousand signed and numbered for about £35,
publisher, remains devoted to small editions. complete with literature and box. Contrast this
His two prize exhibits were Beuys's Felt Suit, with Galerie Poll's Schmettau bronze in an
which only twenty collectors will ever wear, edition of three, at £700, and you have some
and Richard Hamilton's The Critic Laughs, a sense of the confusion which reigned at Berlin.
Duchamp-like joke based on an electric In view of my own involvement with Alecto
toothbrush and a denture plate. It has International I hesitate to judge their
undeniable elegance, for which the sixty lucky contribution except to point out that most of the
owners will each pay about £250. There were objects were unlimited and at relatively low
further jokes at this stand—En Bloc, a wooden prices. Multiples Inc. of New York, a prime
filing cabinet with objects by different artists in mover in the movement, remains devoted to

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