Item #21660 Photographs By Aaron Siskind in Homage To Franz Kline [Exhibition Catalogue with Ephemera Archive] [1975]. Aaron Siskind, Joel Snyder, Carl Chiarenza.
Photographs By Aaron Siskind in Homage To Franz Kline [Exhibition Catalogue with Ephemera Archive] [1975]
Photographs By Aaron Siskind in Homage To Franz Kline [Exhibition Catalogue with Ephemera Archive] [1975]
Photographs By Aaron Siskind in Homage To Franz Kline [Exhibition Catalogue with Ephemera Archive] [1975]
Photographs By Aaron Siskind in Homage To Franz Kline [Exhibition Catalogue with Ephemera Archive] [1975]
Photographs By Aaron Siskind in Homage To Franz Kline [Exhibition Catalogue with Ephemera Archive] [1975]
Photographs By Aaron Siskind in Homage To Franz Kline [Exhibition Catalogue with Ephemera Archive] [1975]
Photographs By Aaron Siskind in Homage To Franz Kline [Exhibition Catalogue with Ephemera Archive] [1975]

Photographs By Aaron Siskind in Homage To Franz Kline [Exhibition Catalogue with Ephemera Archive] [1975]

Chicago: The David and Alfred Smart Gallery, The University of Chicago, 1975. A complete documentary archive of the Siskind/AbEx connection.
This institutional record documents the formal and spiritual intersection between Aaron Siskind’s photography and the gestural abstraction of Franz Kline.

Issued for the 1975 exhibition at the Smart Gallery, this catalogue serves as a definitive acknowledgement of Siskind’s painterly affinities. By isolating calligraphic fragments of walls and weathered surfaces, Siskind’s work effectively translates the energy of Abstract Expressionism into a purely photographic medium.

This copy is notably enhanced by a laid-in archive of original exhibition ephemera, including rare invitation cards, RSVP slips, and the December 1975 issue of Afterimage featuring critical coverage of the show. The combination of Carl Chiarenza’s scholarly essay and the preserved promotional material provides a comprehensive 'time capsule' of this landmark mid-century artistic dialogue.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL FEATURES
+++ Visuals: Illustrated with five full-page black-and-white photographic reproductions and a comprehensive exhibition checklist.
+++ Binding: Large-format stapled stiff wraps; printed on heavy, high-quality exhibition stock.
+++ Imprint: The David and Alfred Smart Gallery, University of Chicago. October 1975.
+++ Specs: 9.25 x 12.25 inches; 12 pages.
+++ Archive Content: Includes two original invitation notecards (one with typed RSVP slip), two oversized postcard invitations, and a complete folded issue of Afterimage (Vol. 3, No. 6, Dec 1975). reviewing the exhibition.

CONDITION: Very Good --  Wraps showing only light handling and a small, unobtrusive pen mark at the lower front corner near the 'O' of Chicago. Internally fine. The accompanying ephemera is well-preserved, maintaining the documentary integrity of the grouping.


SCHOLARLY FEATURES
+++ The AbEx Dialogue: Explicitly situates Siskind within the Abstract Expressionist movement, framing his work as a photographic equivalent to Kline’s bold, calligraphic brushwork.
+++ Critical Essays: Features an extended essay by Carl Chiarenza, one of the most significant theorists of modernist photography, exploring the boundaries of abstraction.
+++ Ephemera Value: The presence of the original invitations and RSVP slips is a rarity in the trade, providing primary data for the study of 1970s exhibition history and museum marketing.
+++ Media Context: The inclusion of Afterimage magazine provides contemporary critical reception, offering a 'living' context for the Siskind/Kline connection.


HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE --
This grouping captures the exact moment the academic world fully codified Aaron Siskind’s 'Homage to Franz Kline.' While Siskind began his career in social documentary, his evolution toward abstraction in the 1940s was initially met with skepticism by photography traditionalists. This 1975 Smart Gallery show served as a critical victory, proving that the photographic surface could hold the same metaphysical weight as an Abstract Expressionist canvas. For the researcher, the intact ephemera transforms a standard catalogue into a primary archival resource.

Subjects: Aaron Siskind, Franz Kline, University of Chicago, Carl Chiarenza, Joel Snyder, Abstract Expressionism, Mid-Century American Art, Exhibition History. Photography, Exhibition Catalogues, Art Ephemera, Postwar American Art.

Item #21660

Price: $150.00

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