Carl Andre, Poem Drawing for a fellow artist (Cat. Ref: "Carl Andre: The Complete Poems", Tate)

Carl Andre

Poem Drawing for fellow artist Brenda Miller (Cat. Ref: "Carl Andre: The Complete Poems", Tate) , 1991

Ink on Permalife Paper, hand signed, dated and dedicated with inscription, Unique

Own an important piece of 1970's art world history! This exquisite, unique signed and dedicated 1991 Carl Andre poem/drawing has very special provenance. It was a gift from the artist to Brenda Miller, an important, avant-garde feminist Post-Minimalist artist, who was/is a lifelong friend of Carl Andre. Here, the artist writes a poem consisting of one word for each letter of the alphabet, from A-Z, consecutively, one on top of the other - though the astute observer might note that the artist omitted the letter "V"! Andre completed the work, in Brenda Miller's studio while he was waiting for her to get ready to go out. (As an aside, for this reason, Andre's poem is created on the more durable "Permalife" paper, which Miller happened to have in her studio, unlike many of his other poems which were done on less enduring and resilient materials.) In the early 1970s, Miller and Andre exhibited together at the John Weber gallery, alongside Nancy Holt, Hans Haacke and others. A contemporaneous male reviewer described Miller's work as "craft". In a letter to Artforum, Miller objected to this classification as a sexist way of dismissing women's work, noting that male artists, like Claes Oldenburg, used similar soft industrial materials - but were never marginalized the way she was. Carl Andre came immediately to Miller's defense, writing his own powerful letter to Artforum, which was published at the same time. He remains to this day a loyal supporter of Miller's pioneering work.

The present work, a poem written by Andre and dedicated to Brenda Miller has been photographed by the Paula Cooper Gallery, and is included in the catalogue raisonne, "Carl Andre: The Complete Poems", published by Tate Publishing, London and The Carl Andre and Melissa L. Kretschmer Foundation. It is in fine condition; unframed and never framed. This work is fresh to market, and has never passed through public auction. In fact, it has remained in artist Brenda Miller's cherished private collection for more than a quarter century. Provenance is direct and irrefutable. In addition, the collector who acquires this very special Carol Andre work, will also, exceptionally receive a hand signed letter of provenance, written by Brenda Miller herself, describing how Carl Andre created and gifted this piece to her. She writes, in part, "Carl Andre's poem/drawing, For BM 1Sept91 was composed in my loft, in Chelsea, while he waited for me to get ready to go out to dinner. I was running late and while I was getting ready, he wandered into my studio where he found all the ingredients he needed to write the poem; the paper: Permalife, black ink and a pen, and he finished the poem by the time I was ready to go." Miller continues to write how she and Carl first met and became friends, and their mutual involvement in art world groups, civil rights and the anti-war movement - noting that Andre has remained a good friend and staunch supporter of her work over the past half century. Miller concludes her heartfelt letter stating, "Art is a conversation that all artists participate in; I had been working with the alphabet, using rubber stamps and typewriting, since the early 1970s, and in composing For BM 1 Sep91, Carl Andre did so as part of the conversation."

For collectors and fans of Carl Andre - it's extremely rare to find a work like this on the market, accompanied by such a personal letter of provenance, from a fellow artist.

Alpha 137 Gallery is honored to be able to offer this work exclusively to our clientele, who know how much we value works like this with such extraordinary provenance. We are also grateful to Brenda Miller for taking the time to document and share her recollections of Carl Andre and their artistic connections.

Please see the additional photographs of this work. For more background, we are also including a copy of Brenda Miller's hand signed letter of provenance. She is an important artist who also deserves to be re-discovered; for more information, below is a link to a recent article about Miller in Women's Art Journal -- making the case that she is indeed ripe for re-discovery, and worthy of a serious reconsideration. We think you will agree. (Link below)
https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-464162806.html

Signature: This Carl Andre drawing/poem is signed dedicated and dated on the recto (front), bottom of the poem. It is also accompanied, separately, by a hand signed letter of provenance from its original recipient and owner, renowned feminist artist Brenda Miller - a lifelong friend of Carl Andre. 

Provenance: Brenda Miller, Post-Minimalist artist and lifelong friend and colleague of Carl Andre