Sims Reed Rare Books×

art information. Nos. 1 - 7 [&:] media news 1 - 4. [All published]

Art Information / Media News. Kirves, Dietmar (Editor)

Düsseldorf. Mediacontact. 1971–1973
The complete series of both of Dietmar Kirves' art / media analyses with additional related manuscript material.

'Information from artists and artists’ groups in whose working fields a consciousness-building concept is discernible.'It was with this short sentence that publisher / artist Dietmar Kirves – also known to many as a German member of the 'NO!art' movement – characterised his two publication series 'art information' and 'media news'. With the two series, Kirves' aim was to create a platform for making information on contemporary art accessible to a broad public inexpensively, and thus to encourage a creative dialog with the public.

In the period from 1970 to 1973, Kirves asked artists belonging to various art movements – generally of an anti-art-establishment nature – to submit momentary takes on their working processes as well as examples of their work. In the 'art information' series, editions by Joseph Beuys, Michael Buthe, Terry Fox, Jochen Gerz, Joel Glassman, Anatol Herzfeld, Jean Le Gac and Sarkis Zabunyan appeared. Hansjürgen Bulkowski, Christine Franz, Florian Schneider-Esleben, Timm Schröder, Landfried Schröpfer and Fritz Schwegler contributed to the series 'media news' (1970 – 1971).

Whereas 'art information' concentrated primarily on the presentation of artists’ and artist groups’ work results and projects, 'media news' brought up a wide range of socially relevant topics relating to such areas as communication, motivation and psychology up for discussion. In editions of up to two hundred copies, the publications were circulated by Kirves's Düsseldorf based publishing house 'mediacontact' in Germany, France and America.

The complete set of issues runs as follows:
Art information :
1. Joseph Beuys and Anatol Herzfeld - Der Stahltisch / The Steel Table(500 copies, stamped)
2. Joseph Beuys and Terry Fox - Isolation Unit(200 copies, signature stamps)
3. Michael Buthe - Freunde / Friends(200 copies, stamped)
4. Jochen Gerz - 25 recent contributions to the Telephone Directory of Paris (300 copies, signed & stamped)
5. Joel Glassman - Some Work(200 copies)
6. Jean Le Gac - Messages Personnels(200 copies, stamped)
7. Sarkis Zabunyan - Wolfshunde(300 copies,stamped)

Media news:
1. KRAFTWERK with Florian Schneider-Esleben - (100 copies, stamped, signed by Kirves)
2. REUNANZ with Hansjuergen Bulkowski and Landfried Schroepfer- (200 copies, signed)
3. EIAG with Christine Franz and Timm Schroeder- (200 copies, signed & stamped)
4. EFFESCHIADEN with Fritz Schwegler - (200 copies, signed).
pp. 8 - 24 per issue. 11 issues. 4to. (300 x 210 mm). Original printed wrappers, each signed or stamped by the contributing artists, loose in publisher's grey card portfolio with printed lavbel to front cover with details of issues, later protective white card box, label to front cover reproducing cover of 'Art Information 1'.
#43266