SHIT MUST STOP ART MOVEMENT , USA / UNUSUAL EARLY IRISH SPORT IN OZ

S.M.S. (Shit Must Stop) was a project conceived by New York Surrealist artist William Copley. It was initiated at the start of 1968 with an invitation to 73 artists – many of them major, some relatively obscure – to contribute works to be reproduced in six portfolios. Unusual 

It  was inspired in part by Duchamp’s Boîte-en-valise and Dieter Roth’s artists books produced for William and Norma Copley. Its agenda was to free artistic expression from the power and influence of galleries, critics, curators and mainstream publishers, and to dissolve boundaries between different types of art. Copley’s loft on the Upper West Side became a nexus for performers, artists, curators, and composers to collaborate in the atmosphere of an open-ended collective.

These portfolios, each containing eleven to thirteen artist’s multiples, were published in New York by The Letter Edged In Black Press, Inc. between February and December 1968, and were mailed to subscribers. The portfolios contain works of dada, surrealism, and pop art, and include photography, sound and text. They were produced in unsigned editions of 2000. Each issue also had a deluxe edition of 100 copies, which were signed by (most of) the artists.

Issues 1-6 (all issued). Comprising six decorated card portfolios (each 280 x 180 mm) containing artists’ multiples in mixed media; all are housed in the original publisher’s uniform cardboard packaging (190 x 350 mm, depth varies), and are accompanied by the two rare separately-boxed audio cassette tapes by Terry Riley and La Monte Young; the contents of each issue are complete (as called for by the title sheet in each portfolio), and in virtually untouched condition. 

Issue 1 February 1968 James Byars, Walter de Maria, La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela, Sol Mednick, Nancy Reitkopf, Kasper König, Richard Hamilton, Su Braden, Christo, Julien Levy; Issue 2 April 1968 Marcel Duchamp (7″ single-sided phonograph record Esquivons Les Ecchymoses des Esquimaux aux Mots Exquis), Bernard Pfriem, Ray Johnson, Alain Jacquet, Nicolas Calas, Meret Oppenheim, Lee Lozano, Bruce Conner, Clovis Trouille, Marcia Herscovitz; Issue 3 June 1968 William Bryant, Dick Higgins, Man Ray, Ronnie Landfield, Roland Penrose, Hannah Wiener, Aftograf, Enrico Bay, Joseph Kosuth, H.C. Westerman, plus Terry Riley audio cassette tape Poppy Nogood’s All Night Flight (The First Ascent), performed live at the Philadelphia College of Art, November 17, 1967, in accompanying publisher’s box 35 x 135 x 15 mm; Issue 4 August 1968 On Kawara, Paul Bergtold, Princess Winifred, Hollis Frampton, Lil Picard, Roy Lichtenstein, Rotella, Robert Watts, John Cage, Arman Fernandez, plus the La Monte Young audio cassette tape Drift Study in publisher’s box, 135 x 135 x 15 mm; Issue 5 October 1968 cover by Congo (the chimpanzee), Robert Rohm, Mel Ramos, Bruce Nauman, William Schwedler, Wall Batterton, Larry Wiener, Angus MacLise, Edward Fitzgerald, Neil Jenny, Diane Wakoski, Yoko Ono, The Barber’s Shop; Issue 6 December 1968 cover by John Giorno, Toby Mussman, Betty Dodson, Adrian Nutbeam, Jean Reavey, Claes Oldenburg, Mischa Petrov, Bernar Venet, Ronaldo Ferri, Ed Bereal, Diter Rot, Paul Steiner.

The above  unusual offering  was  in a recent  Douglas Stewart Fine Books ,Melbourne , acquisitions list, $7500.  Another item of  note  was  a group photo of   the  1913 Victorian   amateur  hurling  team, $1550. 

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