Blog Archives
Wedge
We have 2 issues of Wedge, no.1(1982:summer) and no.2(1982:fall). The 10 numbers published between 1982 and 1988 represent the entire run. Some issues were published in combined form; no issues were published for fall 1983, spring 1984-fall 1984, summer 1985-1987. They have the following subject headings in our catalog, the links for which you can follow to other material in our catalog with the same assigned subject heading:
Art, Modern–20th century–Periodicals.
Avant-garde (Aesthetics)–History–20th century–Periodicals.
Art, Modern.
Avant-garde (Aesthetics)
Each issue had a distinct title. You can see the title for number 1 below. Number 2 was called The Spectacle.
The content includes interviews with visual artists, writers, and filmmakers, as well as essays on various art forms. They also published poetry and various writings, such as “The Thomas Crown Affair” in which Richard Prince chronicles what he did instead of going to work (which included going to the Orleans Theater to watch porno movies and a Howard Johnson’s for a meal). Below are the table of content pages.
And as a last enticement, here is an insert called the License Action by the Guerrilla Art Action Group from issue no. 1. These are business card sized and all came in a tiny envelope.
It is a highly entertaining read/browse that provides a snapshot of the early 1980’s art world.
Magazine Covers – 1970-1979
This post continues to look at Magazine Covers throughout the decades. 1970-1979 contains hundreds of items and as usual it was difficult choosing these few to feature.
I begin with this gem from 1970, the beautifully produced, polite propaganda, Soviet Life. We have a number of full issues in our periodical collection from the late 60’s, early 70’s, and early 80’s.
And from the idealism of Lenin we move onto the eroticism of Lennon in Avant Garde magazine which is also available in our periodicals no.1(1968:Jan.)-no.14(1971:summer).

The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise, by Giovanni di Paolo (1402 or 1403 - about 1482), Italian (Siena). Tempera on wood, 17 3/4 x 20 1/2 inches. Photograph: Malcolm Varon. From the Robert Lehman collection.

From the table of contents: "Cover: The snapshots on the cover were taken by the Editor at Borobudur and Prambhanan in Central Java and on the island of Bali. They depict the original setting of the Indonesian art works recently shown at the Asia House Gallery in New York."

From the table of contents: "The Cover: A whale breaching--or leaping from the water to roll onto its back--is a sight few landsmen can expect to encounter. Artist Alan E. Cober, a leading American illustrator, depicted the whale on our cover..."Few people even know what a whale looks like," says Cober. "I have rendered the marine life realistically, but the realism is my own."
- Novum Gebrauchs Graphik (February 1978) Cover by Young Su Lee
This is a strange one, the “urban renaissance” issue of this defunct inflight magazine from US Airways. “Mainliner Magazine” sounds like something for the heroine chic crowd.