Anne MacDonald (1942–2018) had money and a passion for art. She was still in her early 20s when she first became a trustee at her hometown museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts. In the mid-1970s, MacDonald moved to California where she was soon appointed a trustee at both the San Francisco Museum of Art and the Los Angeles County Museum. MacDonald’s most significant contribution to the art world, however, was not her support for public institutions, but rather the independently financed art enterprises that she herself created: San Francisco Artspace, Artspace Books, and Shift magazine.
MacDonald was an enthusiastic promoter of experimental artists advancing new forms of art-making and innovative ways to expand art audiences. She was especially attracted to artists whose work was marginalized on account of their interest in sexuality and politics. As government censorship of the arts increased in the 1980s, MacDonald became a stalwart supporter of freedom of expression. When AIDS began decimating large sectors of the art community, she provided outlets for artists to express their grievances, and acknowledge the profundity of their loss. Among the artists she was closest to were Robert Mapplethorpe, David Wojnarowicz, Kathy Acker, Jenny Holzer, Karen Finley, General Idea, Cady Noland, Nayland Blake, as well as many others.
Gallery 98 has recently obtained a collection of items from the Anne MacDonald’s estate. This newsletter focuses on her magazine Shift, that published 15 issues from 1987 to 1993. We are also working on an online exhibition and newsletter focusing on MacDonald’s relationship with curator Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe. Stay tuned.
Robert Mapplethorpe (1954 – 1989), Memorial Booklet; Special Insert, Shift #6, 1989
53-Page Magazine
Size: 8.5 x 11 inches
Full Magazine with Memorial Booklet: Available — $300
Memorial Booklet: Available — $250
Autobiographical Story by Kathy Acker, Interviews with Raymond Pettibone and Jeff Koons, Shift #15, 1993
63-Page Magazine
Size: 8.5 x 11 inches
Notre Y Sur (bilingual), The Fate of the Avant Garde; Interview with Lorna Simpson, Shift #11, 1991
80-Page Magazine
Size: 8.5 x 11 inches
Group Material AIDS Timeline; Interview with David Wojnarowicz, Shift #10, 1990
55-Page Magazine
Size: 8.5 x 11 inches
David Wojnarowicz (1954 – 1992), Images from Memories that Smell like Gasoline; artist project published posthumously, Shift #14, 1992
58-Page Magazine
Size: 8.5 x 11 inches
