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'Homage to the Square I

Print
1967 (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Silkscreen print with squares of brown, purple, dark green and lighter green

Object details

Category
Object type
Title'Homage to the Square I
Materials and techniques
Silkscreen print
Brief description
'SP I', a silkscreen print by Josef Albers, 1967
Physical description
Silkscreen print with squares of brown, purple, dark green and lighter green
Dimensions
    Marks and inscriptions
    (Signed in pencil)
    Object history
    Suite originally housed in a black binders cloth portfolio box with white lining paper. Text on front in white ‘josef albers’ and below in grey ‘homage / to the square’. Box is unnumbered and stored elsewhere, currently (2011) at the back of '1st Mezz' in the National Art Library.
    Remaining inside the box is a white paper folder with ‘josef albers’ in black and below in grey ‘homage / to the square. On verso the following text in English (black) and German (grey): ‘josef albers / homage to the square / zur ehre des quadrats / 12 serigraphs / 12 serigraphien / published by the gallery der spiegel / verlegt durch due galerie der spiegel / with the advice of karl gerstner / unter beratung von karl gerstner / köln 1967 / printed by poldi domberger / gedruckt durch poldi domberger / on cardboard from schoellers hammer / auf schoellers hammer karton / fitted out in the studios / of the gallery der spiegel / ausgerüstet in den werkstatten / der galerie der spiegel / in an edition of 125 / in einer auflage von 125 exemplaren / sheet by sheet is numbered / and signed by the artist / blatt für blatt ist numeriert / und vom künstler signiert / this portfolio carries the number / dieses portfolio trägt die nummer / 103’ [the number is written in pencil over a background of horizontal printed lines].
    Also remaining inside box are two sheets of cream paper:
    Sheet 1: Black text ‘Midnight and Noon, a suite of 8 Homage to the Square / by Josef Albers
    Sheet 2: Black text ‘Midnight and Noon, a suite of 8 Homage to the Square / All are monochromatic lithographs handprinted from zinc and aluminium plates at Tamarind Lithography Workshop, Los Angeles, California, during June 1964. / Technical experimentation, colour proofing and production of the bons à tirer were / done by Kenneth Tyler who supervised the handprinting of the editions. Each print / results from one ink in two densities. In this way, one ink and two metal plates produce / three perceptual color variants. The edition comprises 20 numbered impressions and / 9 Tamarind impressions, all on Arches paper. Title and colophon pages are on white / Nacré paper. There exist a few trial and artist’s proofs recorded in detail at Tamarind. / All plates have been effaced. Typography by The Plantin Press, Los Angeles. / Binding by the Schuberth Bookbindery, San Francisco.’
    An additional blank sheet of (discoloured) paper.
    Dims. of box: 63 x 63 x 3.3cm.
    Condition of box: Case is warped at edges. Sheet of pulp paper discoloured and has corner cut off.
    Bibliographic reference
    Taken from Departmental Circulation Register 1967
    Collection
    Accession number
    CIRC.1124-1967

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    Record createdJune 30, 2009
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