I Am AR. Penck
Amsterdam: Aschenbach Galerie, 1989. First Edition, First Printing.
SIGNED by A.R. Penck, one of 100 signed and numbered copies produced by the Aschenbach Galerie in Amsterdam. There were also 20 artist proofs.
An artist's book featuring stick figures and pictograms, artistic language popularized by Penck (1939-2017) in his figurative paintings.
He asks throughout the book, "Who are you?" Speaking of himself, he writes on the cover "I Am A.R. Penck," and says on pages 2 and 3: "I am in the West but I'm from the East." Penck, who was born in Dresden and had frequent run-ins with the East German authorities, was expelled in 1980.
His frequent use of "x" throughout the book likely represents the barbed wire along the border between East and West Germany during the Cold War. In effect, he's expressing his anguish about the division of his homeland and posing questions about identity.
OCLC shows only two institutional holdings, at the KunstBibliothek in Cologne and at the Royal Library in The Hague. None in commerce.
A deeply personal account by one of the stars of German Neo-Expressionism.
PHYSICAL DETAILS: Oblong Folio (14.875 x 11.75 inches; 377 x 300 mm), [12] pages of screen prints in color on heavy card stock backed by gray cloth (hard cover).
CONDITION: Light soiling to upper fore edge. Near Fine. Item #3022
Price: $875.00