UNTITLED (TABLE PEAGE)

Milan: Ars Viva, 1973
50.5 x 50.5 x 1cm folder content of a 70 x 70cm (unfolded)  three dimensional paper multiple by Spoerri replicating a table peage work. Following his move away from the nouvaux realistes and into the mainstream of Fluxus (if Fluxus ever had a mainstream) Spoerri made many works where he captured the contents of a post-meal table top by gluing the various objects down onto the wood and displaying the result vertically on a wall. Later his famous Annotated Typography of Chance artist's book took the idea to a conceptual level. This multiple, which was published by Ars Viva as part of an Untitled valise portfolio of works by various artists, is a magnificent paper construction where the various objects - a spoon, a bottle of beer, a glass, a box of Gitane, an ashtray, a used match and a cup are all made out of paper and pop-up when the table top is unfolded. This is a remarkable object multiple and as befitting the artist who created the first artist editions is a perfect example of how the object multiple can make accessible to many what was once only possible as a unique work. All very good although there is one unavoidable condition problem where the cup has a small tear on it at the base because of the tension between the various attached pieces of paper and it and the join between the paper spoon and the cup have both had paper repairs to them (the multiple was assembled by hand so the engineering tolerances could not be consistent to all). One of 600 signed, dated and numbered copies (on base). The folder (not a constituent part of the work but rather the packing has a piece of card missing from one edge. Scarce and very desirable.