You’ll find here uncommon rare items from our inventory of vintage art publications.
In the 1960s one of the favorite hangouts for NYC artists was the bar and restaurant Max’s Kansas City where owner Mickey Ruskin was famous for trading credit for art. A list of items sold at auction in 1971 is interesting in itself but becomes even more interesting on account of the price notations handwritten in ballpoint pen.
Photographer Martha Cooper’s popular books documenting subway graffiti and street art usually have multiple printings. The one we are offering seems to be the exception. Featuring Cooper’s photographs of the xerox flyers and other street art that flooded New York in the wake of 9/11, this small book published by an independent publisher is rare and almost impossible to find.
Find many more rare items on Gallery 98’s Publication Page.
Press packet for the Ellsworth Kelly retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum, 1996
Press kit size: 9 x 12 inches
Available — $150
See more Ellsworth Kelly ephemera
Max’s Kansas City’s famous art collection, auction sheet with handwritten price notations, 1971
Max’s Kansas City, 4-page offset auction sheet with handwritten price notations, 1971. In the 1960s, Mickey Ruskin, the owner of the popular artist bar and restaurant Max’s Kansas City, was famous for providing tabs in exchange for works of art.
Guide size: 8.5 x 11 inches
Available — $150
See more Auction Catalogues and Price Lists
The First Annual Arties, catalogue for Franklin Furnace’s award celebration for performance artists, 1986
The First Annual Arties, awards for performance artists organized by Franklin Furnace, cover photo by Robert Mapplethorpe, 53-page catalogue, 1986. Four months ago, Gallery 98 devoted a newsletter to The Arties and the artists who were being honored. Since then, we acquired a copy of this rare catalogue.
Catalogue Size: 8.5 x 11 inches
Available — $150
See more Performance Art ephemera
Catalogue for Cultural Economies: Histories from the Alternative Arts Movement, NYC, 1996
Cultural Economies: Histories from the Alternative Arts Movement, NYC, organized by Julie Ault, cover image features the street stencil Growth Decay by John Fekner, The Drawing Center, 72-page catalogue,1996. Includes a short essay by Ault and reproductions of important newspaper articles. The clipping above refers to the controversy generated by Donald Newman’s exhibition titled “The N*gger Drawings.”
Catalogue Size: 9.5 x 11 inches
Available — $150
See ephemera by controversial artist Donald Newman
Remembering 9/11, a book of photographs by Martha Cooper, 2011
Martha Cooper, Remembering 9/11, 80-page book, 2011. On the 10th anniversary of the destruction of the World Trade Center, Matha Cooper, a photographer famous for her documentation of graffiti, put together this collection of photographs recording the street art and xeroxes that appeared in the aftermath of 9/11. This small sized booklet is surprisingly rare.
Book Size: 4.5 x 6 inches
Available — $150
