Sims Reed Rare Books×

Passage

Buren, Daniel

Macerata. Edizione Artestudio. 1972
Daniel Buren's 1972 artist's book 'Passage' concerning the decomposition or recomposition of seven colours.

From the edition limited to 110 unnumbered copies (including ten artist's proofs).

Buren's multilingual punning title refers to the number of times that each sheet has been passed through the press, the act of the viewer's journey through each volume, and links, also, with his ongoing concern with the use of and movement through public and private space.

'Daniel Buren worked persistently on the provocation and subversion of the exhibition of art.' (Printed Matter, Die Sammlung Marzona).

' ... Buren's Passage ... is seven large bound volumes in a slipcase, all beautifully made. Each volume is a different color and the first page of each has been printed, or passed through the press once. The second pages have been passed through twice, and so forth, until at the end of the volume, the color saturation on the stripes is quite intense. At the start of the book the colors are extremely weak - barely distinguishable from the white of the page between the stripes. In a completely different spirit, this is a work which has been worked out very thoughtfully and with great finesse ... '. (Art-Rite 14, 1976).

[Buren C-64 / T IV 216; Krefeld Künstler: Bücher I, 44:4; Tehran 42].
[Blank leaf, title, contents, 32 leaves (Bleu), 39 leaves (Jaune), 25 leaves (Noir), 29 leaves (Orange), 26 leaves (Rouge), 31 leaves (Vert), 33 leaves (Violet), justification and final blank leaf]. 7 vols. Square folio. (522 x 522 mm). Each vol. with printed title, list of contents and justification printed recto only and a varying number of leaves (see below) each with printed leaf number verso with offset printed colour stripes (width 88 mm) showing the varying colour compositions for each of the represented colours ('Bleu', 'Jaune', 'Noir', 'Orange', 'Rouge', 'Vert' and 'Violet'). Original publisher's white paper wrappers, printed title to front wrapper of each vol., spines with title, publisher and artist, loose as issued in original cream board slipcase.
#46740