Foirades / Fizzles: Maquette

London, Paris, New York: Editions de Minuit and Petersburg Press S.A., 1976. First edition. Wrappers and box. Very Good. UNIQUE MAQUETTE FOR ONE OF THE MOST CELEBRATED ART BOOKS OF THE 20TH CENTURY. With all the etchings, aquatints, and lithographs of the completed book, plus additional versions of the double-page illustrations. From the estate of Rudolf Rieser who designed and created the binding for Fizzles. Fizzles, the magnificent collaboration between Samuel Beckett and Jasper Johns, was recognized early as one of the most beautiful and significant artists’ books of the 20th century. It was exhibited in 1977 (only a year after publication) at the Whitney Museum of American Art and included in the landmark 1994 -1995 Museum of Modern Art exhibit: A Century of Artists’ Books.

The first edition, limited to 250 numbered copies (plus 30 artist’s proofs and 20 HC copies), was issued with original prints by Johns, comprising 33 etchings and aquatints in- and hors-texte, including two double page color illustrations.

This maquette was the copy used by Rudulf Rieser for the Petersburg Press, as a model for the published copies. (As noted in the colophon: “The binding was conceived and executed by Rudolf Rieser in Cologne.”) It contains all the text and illustrations, with the individual sheets loose in folders. The printed texts are laminated and pasted on the correct pages, with notes, corrections, and annotations in Rieser’s hand. The book is very much in an “assembly” stage, with the in-text illustrations on loose slips, titles on each folder identifying the pages and illustrations inside, and glue residue on the slips and paper folder edges giving insight into how the book was assembled. The hand-written titles supplied by Rieser for the illustrations are particularly helpful for understanding John’s somewhat abstract images. (The titles were not included in the published version.)

There are some notable differences between this maquette and the published book:

–The box pastedowns and first color spread of the final published Fizzles contains a beautiful double-page lithograph by Johns of multi-colored lines at different angels – perhaps the most famous image in the book. In this maquette there are three such spreads. Two are somewhat larger than the ones in the published book and box, with lines extending beyond the borders of the final images and one is much larger, with many additional lines visible.

– There are two versions of the double-page color lithograph featured at the end of the book (only one in the published book), both larger in the maquette – one significantly larger, with the individual shapes larger and richer in color.

–While the text appears mostly the same, it is not exact: there is at least one place with a different word choice. Also, one page of text is repeated in the maquette (on an extra sheet, with a few tears) and the date is excised on the English title page.

–Like the published edition, the maquette contains the colophon; it does not, however, have a limitation page signed by Beckett and Johns.

–Instead of the canvas box with tassel of the original, the maquette is housed in a hard chemise of thick board.

London, Paris, New York: Editions de Minuit and Petersburg Press S.A., 1976. (The maquette, though, is pre-publication.) Oblong folio (13 x 10 in.; 330 x 254 mm); loose sheets in board chemise.

A UNIQUE ITEM, OFFERING INSIGHT INTO THE CREATION OF A LEGENDARY ART BOOK.