Jasper Johns, Merce Cunningham, John Cage, Dancers on a Plane, 1989

Jasper Johns, Merce Cunningham, John Cage

Dancers on a Plane, 1989

Clothbound Artist's Book with slipcase,

Signed in ink by John Cage, Merce

Cunningham, and Jasper Johns on the half-title page, and numbered on the colophon page

Pencil numbered 40/200 on the colophon page and signed in ink to the half title page by Jasper Johns, John Cage, and Merce Cunningham

12 1/4 × 10 inches

First and only limited edition, hand numbered 40/200 on the colophon page and signed to the half title page by artist Jasper Johns, composer John Cage, and dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham. With text by Susan Sontag, Richard Francis, Mark Rosenthal, Anne Seymour, David Sylvester, and David Vaughn. Original full dark grey linen, stamped in blind and in gilt; all edges trimmed; in original dark grey linen slip case.
This limited edition signed artist's book makes a memorable and distinctive gift for any lover of art, dance and literature and for true fans of Johns, Cunningham, Cage
New York: Anthony D' Offay Gallery, 1989. Hand-signed from the limited edition of only 200 in this exceptionally nice artist's book, bound in gray cloth with a matching slipcase.
This extraordinary volume offers a revealing study of the extraordinary collaborative relationship between John Cage, Merce Cunningham, and Jasper Johns, whose influence on one another's work and thought was both subtle and profound. The book's many reproductions of John's paintings and drawings, a calligraphic manuscript by Cage, and photographs of Cunningham and his dancers in rehearsal and performance are augmented by commentary from Susan Sontag and essays by David Sylvester (on Cage), David Vaughan (on Cunningham), and Mark Rosenthal (on Johns). Together, words and images give us new insight into the interaction of three artistic disciplines, the sharing of common themes and preoccupations, and the contribution each individual's art makes to a larger whole.
This limited edition signed gift set was published on the occasion of the exhibition presented by the Anthony d'Offay Gallery of London. Writing about the exhibition in The New York Times, John Russell called this book 'a contribution of lasting value' to our understanding of a rare friendship and three towering artistic achievements. With 15 full-color reproductions of John's paintings and drawings (including two foldouts), 19 two-color reproductions of pages from a Cage manuscript, and 30 duotone photographs, it will delight and enlighten every lover of contemporary music, dance, and art." This historic exhibition explored the cross-fertilization between three different art forms (music, dance/choreography and painting), and it represents a unique collaboration of three of the most celebrated American artists of the 20th century (modernist composer John Cage, Pop Artist Jasper Johns, and minimalist dancer-choreographer Merce Cunningham). The brilliant philosopher Susan Sontag wrote the essay "In Memory of their Feelings”. . This collectors' item, celebrating 50 years of friendship and artistic symbiosis, features reproductions of Cage's musical manuscripts and Johns's iconic paintings, as well as dramatic photographs of Cunningham's distinctive choreography. Designed by Simon Rendall and Anthony d'Offay; edited by Judy Adam; printed by Dr. Cant'sche Druckerei, Stuttgart, West Germany