Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 11

Shusaku Arakawa
Arakawa, The Degrees of Meaning, from Realities and Paradoxes, Signed/N Framed

1973

About the Item

Shusaku Arakawa The Degrees of Meaning, from Realities and Paradoxes, 1973 Color Lithograph and Silkscreen Hand signed, numbered from the edition of only 100 and dated on the front (lower right hand corner). Bears the Styria Studio blind stamp Frame Included Hand signed, numbered from the limited edition of only 100 and dated on front lower right hand corner with blind stamp. This work is from the Realities and Paradoxes portfolio. It is classic Arakawa - an important example of his way of displacing sometimes cryptic words onto images as a form of artistic philosophy and performance. Shusaku Arakawa (荒川 修作 Arakawa Shūsaku, July 6, 1936 – May 18, 2010) who spoke of himself as an “eternal outsider” and “abstractionist of the distant future,” first studied mathematics and medicine at the University of Tokyo, and art at the Musashino Art University. He was a member of Tokyo’s Neo-Dadaism Organizers, a precursor to The Neo-Dada movement. Arakawa’s early works were first displayed in the infamous Yomiuri Independent Exhibition, a watershed event for postwar Japanese avant-garde art. Arakawa arrived in New York in 1961 with fourteen dollars in his pocket and a telephone number for Marcel Duchamp, whom he phoned from the airport and over time formed a close friendship. He started using diagrams within his paintings as philosophical propositions. Jean-Francois Lyotard has said of Arakawa’s work that it “makes us think through the eyes,” and Hans-Georg Gadamer has described it as transforming “the usual constancies of orientation into a strange, enticing game—a game of continually thinking out.” Quoting Paul Celan, Gadamer also wrote of the work: "There are songs to sing beyond the human." Arthur Danto has found Arakawa to be “the most philosophical of contemporary artists." For his part, Arakawa has declared: “Painting is only an exercise, never more than that.” Arakawa and Madeline Gins are co-founders of the Reversible Destiny Foundation, an organization dedicated to the use of architecture to extend the human lifespan. They have co-authored books, including Reversible Destiny, which is the catalogue of their Guggenheim exhibition, Architectural Body (University of Alabama Press, 2002) and Making Dying Illegal (New York: Roof Books, 2006). Arakawa's own feeling was that he was an artist ahead of his time. The present work bears The Sande Webster Gallery label on verso of frame. Measurements: Framed: 36.25" x 27.3" x 1" Artwork: 30.1" x 22.7" Very good condition; not examined outside of frame. Minor waviness (see photo) otherwise a good, strong impression
  • Creator:
    Shusaku Arakawa (1936 - 2010, Japanese)
  • Creation Year:
    1973
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 36.25 in (92.08 cm)Width: 27.3 in (69.35 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Very good condition; not examined outside of frame. Minor waviness (see photo) otherwise a strong impression.
  • Gallery Location:
    New York, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1745215067892

More From This Seller

View All
Untitled 3 from "No!" Says the Signified" Silkscreen & Lithograph, Signed proof
By Shusaku Arakawa
Located in New York, NY
Shusaku Arakawa Untitled 3 from "No!" Says the Signified, 1973 Lithograph and Silkscreen on Arches Paper with Deckled Edges Hand signed and dated on the lower right front Artist's Pr...
Category

1970s Conceptual Abstract Prints

Materials

Pencil, Lithograph, Screen

Joseph Beuys, Blatt auf Karteikarte, from Columbus: In Search of a New Tomorrow
By Joseph Beuys
Located in New York, NY
Joseph Beuys Blatt auf Karteikarte (from Columbus: In Search of a New Tomorrow), 1992 Color silkscreen on vellum parchment paper, held in original portfolio sleeve Signed by Eva Beuy...
Category

1990s Conceptual Abstract Prints

Materials

Vellum, Screen

Dear Picasso, from Homage to Pablo Picasso portfolio, Silkscreen, Signed/N
By Shusaku Arakawa
Located in New York, NY
Shusaku Arakawa Dear Picasso, from Homage to Picasso portfolio, 1973 (Hommage a Picasso) Color Silkscreen on Satin Arches Velincarton Hand signed and numbered 3/90 in graphite pencil...
Category

1970s Conceptual Abstract Prints

Materials

Screen

Two Screenprinted pillow cases (one hand signed by Baldessari) in bespoke box
By John Baldessari
Located in New York, NY
John Baldessari Pillow Cases in Bespoke Presentation Box (one pillowcase hand signed by John Baldessari) for The Thing Quarterly Issue 22, 2014 Silkscreen on 100% cotton 320 thread count sateen pillowcases (Hand signed by John Baldessari) Boldly signed in ink by John Baldessari on one of the pillowcases (see photo) Unframed One of the pillowcases is hand signed in ink by John Baldessari: John Baldessari was one of the artists who were invited to contribute an object (or "thing") with text for a special project for "The Thing" publication (read on for more on "The Thing") ; the conceptual object therefore had to incorporate text. Baldessari's contribution in 2014 was a silkscreened pillowcase with text. A limited (unknown) number of these pillowcases were marketed and sold as a set of two in a bespoke box. However, exceptionally, Baldessari hand signed a very few of pillowcases in ink. This is one of the very special sets bearing one hand signed pillow case - purchased directly from "The Thing". (a copy of the 2014 receipt is shown here.) The rest of these boxed sets were not hand signed. The pillowcase is brand new, and will look gorgeous once pressed and framed by a professional framer. More about this boxed set: Issue 22 of THE THING Quarterly is by LA-based conceptual artist John Baldessari. It consists of two 100% cotton sateen pillowcases featuring an image of a woman clutching a pillow. The black and white image is taken from a Hollywood film still in Baldessari's collection and has been silkscreened on each pillowcase with environmentally-friendly, water-based ink. The pillowcases are standard-sized and envelope-style. For those who like their thread count high, the issue clocks in at a solid 320 thread count. Measurements: Box 10.5 inches by 13 inches by 2 inches Pillow 20 inches vertical by 26 inches What was The Thing Quarterly? THE THING was an experimental publication created in collaboration with Will Rogan as part of an artist residency. We saw it as a quarterly periodical in the form of an object. Each year, four artists, writers, musicians or filmmakers were invited to create an everyday object that somehow incorporates text. The object is reproduced and hand wrapped at wrapping parties and then mailed to the homes of the subscribers with the help of the United States Postal Service. It began as part of an artist residency in San Francisco’s Southern Exposure. Will and I had met in grad school at UC Berkeley and discovered our mutual affinity for quarterlies. He was a librarian at SFAI for five years and I had been a high school teacher for five years. WE were both interested pushing the boundaries of publication. Our plan was to create a 1 year publication with four artists, but from the very start the project generated so much interest and international excitement that we found ourselves running a publication complete with a brick and mortar storefront and a staff of four individuals. After 10 years, 34 issues, 59 projects and countless live events, we decided to end the publication in order to pursue our individual projects. We are still working together on a less ambitious new project, and hope to launch it at some point in 2021. CONTRIBUTORS: have included John Baldessari, Dave Eggers, Miranda July...
Category

2010s Conceptual Abstract Prints

Materials

Fabric, Cotton, Screen, Ink, Mixed Media, Cardboard

NO SMOKING, Rare historic 1970s Fluxus hand pulled silkscreen mid century design
Located in New York, NY
Maciunas & George Brecht, George Maciunas, George Brecht No Smoking, ca. 1973 Rare, historic Hand pulled Fluxus silkscreen Limited edition and rarely found collectible (though exact number produced not known) 16 31/50 × 16 3/4 inches Black and white hand-pulled silk screen by George Maciunas of George Brecht's iconic ”No Smoking” offset wallpaper squares George Maciunas was a Lithuanian American artist, art historian, and art organizer who was the founding member and central coordinator of Fluxus, an international community of artists, architects, composers, and designers. "George Maciunas had an extreme dislike of smoking. Being an asthmatic he could not tolerate it personally and with his complete devotion to Fluxus, professionally he felt there was no time or space for such a self-indulgent act. This disdain led fellow Fluxus artist, George Brecht to suggest a “no smoking” sign...
Category

1970s Conceptual Figurative Prints

Materials

Screen

"If Elections Were Held Today" from the Castelli Sonnabend Collection
Located in New York, NY
Hans Haacke "If Elections Were Held Today" from the Castelli Sonnabend Collection, 1973 Silkscreen in portfolio sleeve of Crane's bond paper No. 1. Stamped and numbered. Unframed in ...
Category

1970s Conceptual Abstract Prints

Materials

Screen

You May Also Like

Triptychos Post Historicus Picasso Conceptual Art Silkscreen Gold Lithograph
Located in Surfside, FL
Braco D. Slobodan "Braco" Dimitrijević (born 18 June 1948) is a Paris-based Bosnian and Yugoslavian conceptual artist. His works deal mainly with history and the individual's place ...
Category

1980s Conceptual Still-life Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Screen

Elaine Sturtevant, Duchamp Triptych - Three Signed Prints, Conceptual Art
Located in Hamburg, DE
Elaine Sturtevant (American, 1924-2014) Duchamp Triptych, 1998 Medium: Two grano lithographs and one silkscreen, all on Rives rag paper Dimensions: Each 50 x 40 cm (19.75 x 15.75 in)...
Category

20th Century Conceptual Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Screen

City 191, Geometric Screenprint by Risaburo Kimura
By Risaburo Kimura
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Risaburo Kimura, Japanese (1924 - ) Title: City 191 Year: 1971 Medium: Screenprint, signed in pencil Edition: AP Size: 29 x 22.5 in. (73.66 x 57.15 cm)
Category

1970s Conceptual Abstract Prints

Materials

Screen

City 85, Abstract Geometric Screenprint by Risaburo Kimura
By Risaburo Kimura
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Risaburo Kimura, Japanese (1924 - ) Title: City 85 Year: 1969 Medium: Screenprint, signed and titled in pencil Edition: 300 Size: 25 x 20 in. (63.5 x 50.8 cm)
Category

1970s Conceptual Abstract Prints

Materials

Screen

Jupiter 6, Minimalist Geometric Abstract Screenprint by Rafael Bogarin
By Rafael Bogarin
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Rafael Bogarin Title: Jupiter 6 Year: 1981 Medium: Screenprint, signed and titled in pencil Edition: 295 Paper Size: 28.5 x 22.5 inches
Category

1980s Conceptual Abstract Prints

Materials

Screen

The New Year graphisms & 12. 1979, paper, silk screen, 15x21.5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
The New Year graphisms & 12. 1979, paper, silk screen, 15x21.5 cm Maris Argalis (1954-2008) Born in Riga. 1971. - graduated the Janis Rosenthal Riga Art...
Category

1970s Conceptual More Prints

Materials

Paper, Screen

Recently Viewed

View All