Avalanche magazine was founded by Willoughby Sharp and Liza Béar
shortly after they met in 1968. At the time, Sharp was a New York-based
art historian and independent curator and Béar an underground magazine
editor who had recently moved to New York from London. They published
the first issue in 1970 and collaborated on 13 issues from 1970 to
1976.
Avalanche focused on art from the perspective of artists rather than
critics, and investigated new forms of art that were developing in the
U.S. and Europe with a radical new media format—probing interviews,
extensive use of photography and dynamic layouts. For many artists,
publication in
Avalanche preceded a one-person gallery or museum show.
Aside from an eight-page news section, the editorial content included
only interviews by Sharp and / or Béar, artists' texts and documents of
art and art making, also functioning as an exhibition space in print.
Fresh, incisive and unpretentious, the
Avalanche interviews -- now
landmarks -- illuminate the creative process and give clear voice to the
specific issues that permeated the era.
Among the featured artists were Vito Acconci, Joseph Beuys, Hanne
Darboven, Walter De Maria, Jan Dibbets, Philip Glass, Barry Le Va, Sol
LeWitt, Richard Long, Gordon Matta-Clark, Bruce Nauman, Dennis
Oppenheim, Yvonne Rainer, Keith Sonnier, Richard Serra, Robert
Smithson, William Wegman, Lawrence Weiner and Jackie Winsor. This boxed
facsimile edition of
Avalanche's complete run reproduces the first
eight issues individually, and the final five in a single bound
paperback.
The limited edition will sell at a staggered price rate, with the
first
40 selling for $350 FIRST 40 SOLD OUT;
the second 20 for $450; the third 20 for $550; and
the last 20 selling for $750.
Limited edition copies are accompanied by a certificate signed by both
Liza Béar and Willoughby Sharp shortly before Sharp’s death in December
2008.
The publication is 1,016 pages and illustrated throughout; is housed in
a heavy duty, laminated, archival box measuring 10.5 x 19.5 x 2.5
inches.
The first eight issues measure 9.25 x 9.25 inches and are exact
facsimiles of the originals; the subsequent five tabloid-sized issues,
now bound as a single volume measuring 9.25 x 13.5 inches, have been
reduced slightly in scale from the original format. This new edition
weighs approximately 12 lbs (packed weight).
The edition will be shipped in a made-to-fit outer box of heavy duty
cardboard to ensure safety and protection. Shipping charges will be $35
for FedEx Ground delivery within the United States; $60 for FedEx
International Ground for delivery in Canada; and $200 for FedEx
International Economy to Europe; and $250 for FedEx International
Economy to Asia.
Orders will be fulfilled in sequence of receipt with prices subject to
change without notice.
Orders may be place on Specific Object's website:
www.specificobject.com/Avalanche_Limited_Edition
An unsigned and unnumbered trade edition of
Avalanche will also be available in Summer 2010, to be priced at $150, plus shipping.
www.specificobject.com/Avalanche_Trade_Edition
Primary Information is a non-profit organization formed in 2007 with
the mission to publish and distribute artists’ books and artists’
writings by established, mid-career, and emerging artists. It is the
firm belief of the founders that publications are essential to
contemporary and historic artistic practice as they are more accessible
than the conventional museum or gallery exhibition, which can only
reach a finite amount of people. Primary Information receives generous
support through grants from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual
Arts, the Stiching Egress, Foundation, the Buddy Taub Foundation, and
individuals worldwide. For more information on Primary Information,
please visit
www.primaryinformation.org.
