French Schmuck #6

Light grey cover with printed labels on the front and back, bound dos-à-dos. Unpaginated (98 pp.) Compiled by Jean-Clarence Lambert and designed by David Mayor. Inserted is the booklet by Ben Vautier, ‘Me Ben I Sign’. Artists who made contributions include: Robert Filliou; Jean le Gac; Christian Dotremont; Marcel Broodthaers; Christian Boltanski; Alain Fleischer; Jochen Gerz; Emilio Galli. The collective Beau Geste Press produced a stream of publications from 1971 to 1976. In the magazines, flyers and artist’s books one can read the boundless desire for artistic freedom and the pleasure of collaboration between artists from all fields of art and from all over the world. “We work within the satisfying boundaries of an operation sponsored by no one, and thus not committed to any pressure but that of meaningful survival”, is the statement in the second issue of their magazine Schmuck (Yiddish for penis). Schmuck was founded by David Mayor and the Mexican artists Felipe Ehrenberg and Martha Hellion with the intention to promote international relationships between artists and to steer clear of the conventional strictures of good taste that were imposed on artistic productions. Their Nashuatec and IBM Selectric typewriter allowed them to make use of typography in an imaginative manner and take complete control of the design. Most of their publications relate to original works of art by a wide range of artists and visual poets, many of whom are associated with Fluxus. All publications have an illustrated cover, are unpaginated, contain objects, booklets, folders, envelopes etc. made by the contributing authors and artists. Published in various sizes (limited to 550 copies). — COL; rileg. brossura. Editore: Beau Geste Press, Devon, 1974.