(after) joe tilson / ziggurat 5 / 30/139

NOT WHAT IT SEEMS..!

This is the second 'ziggurat 5' I have owned, I purchased this copy from an auction website in the US - When it arrived, I wanted to examine the print out of its frame - on seperating the ususal frame / backing / print / glazing sandwich - I discovered the print was not sitting behind slightly yellowing perspex, but backing / print and glazing were one unit! The print was entombed in plastic. A label showed an address in Hong Kong - could this be some form of 'preservation?'.

I obviously would never sell the print as an original joe tilson - I have no idea if what is inside that sealed sandwich of plastic and backing...

But, it's a lovely image, and very decorative - framed in a modern super-slim aluminium frame, it looks fairly decent - certainly not something only worthy of the recycling bin!

(note: the last of the four photographs showing the print is of my original copy of 'ziggurat 5' - not the copy for sale - (for reference only)

Joe Tilson was an English artist who created painted relief sculptures from wood. During the early 1970s, Tilson’s work transitioned from Pop Art themes and collages to mysterious, symbolic works based on classical mythology, lunar cycles, and Neo-Platonic theory. Born on August 24, 1928 in London, he worked as a carpenter and served in the Royal Air Force before studying at the St. Martin’s School of Art under Leon Kossoff and Frank Auerbach. He later attended the Royal College of Art in London, where he won the prestigious Rome Prize. The artist represented the United Kingdom in the 32nd Venice Biennale in 1964, which famously included the works of Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Claes Oldenburg, and Jim Dine. His works are in the collections of the Tate Gallery in London, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and the Kunsthalle Basel, among others. Tilson lived and worked between London and Tuscany. He died in 2023.

1966
12 colour screen print
There is also a 1971 version commissioned as a new years card by sir misha and lady joan black. (if the print is an 'original' - it could well be a 1971 version?)

signed, titled an dated in pencil by the artist (or so it seems!)

In a polished aluminium frame

image: 430 x 290mm
frame: 440 x 300mm

the 1966 print is in the Tate collection.

my details are:
geoffrey powell
122 grove lane
london SE5 8BP (viewing by appointment only)
t: +44 0 7713399961
e: gp@twentiethcenturyprints.com