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A rare complete run of The Situationist Times. It was edited by Dutch artist Jacqueline de Jong after her resignation from the Situationist International, a group of left-wing artists and activists whose practices were designed to disrupt the systems of late-stage capitalism. Issues 1 through 3 were issued in an edition of 1,000 copies; later issues expanded to 2,000. The Situationist International was established in 1957, but by the early 1960s the group had descended into factionalism. The expulsion of the German and Scandinavian sections (Gruppe SPUR and the "Nashists") in 1962 left the official SI consisting almost exclusively of the Franco-Belgian section with Guy Debord as de facto leader. Jacqueline de Jong was a member of Gruppe Spur from 1959 and joined the SI in 1960. She quickly rose to become a member of the central council. When Gruppe Spur were expelled, she resigned in protest over the increasing factionalism of the movement. The first issue of the Situationist Times criticizes the expulsion of Gruppe Spur and documents the expulsion of the "Nashists". Where the SI had aimed for a consistent line, the Situationist Times reported on and published work across dividing lines. Jong's publication strove to reflect and nurture the relationships between the like-minded artists, theorists, and activists of SI's fragmented community. Issue 6 is a luxurious publication, comprised entirely of 33 lithographs produced by SI artists, including Pierre Alechinsky, Lourdes Castro, Asger Jorn, Roberto Matta, and others. This run is from the collection of Tjeerd Deelstra, an architect, urban planner, and important collector of avant-garde art who co-founded the Dutch Society of Ecologists and established the International Institute for the Urban Environment. Loosely inserted into the first issue is a returned typed postcard signed by Deelstra, dated 23 September 1963, requesting information about subscribing to the Situationist Times. McKenzie Wark, The Beach Beneath the Street: the Everyday Life and Glorious Times of the Situationist International, 2011. 6 vols, quarto. Text in German, French, and English. Illustrated in black and white throughout, vol. 6 printed in colour lithography. Original variously coloured wrappers, contents of issues 1, 2, and 6 printed on coloured paper. Loosely inserted postcard from Tjeerd Deelstra, Gasthuislaan 75A, Delft, Pays-Bas, dated 23 September 1963, stamped and franked from the Netherlands, addressed to the International Situationist Times, 18 rue Mesnil, Paris 16e. A little rubbing and creasing to extremities, issues 1 & 2 sunned at edges, short closed tear at head of front cover of issue 4, shallow chip to head of rear cover of issue 5: a near-fine set.
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