TOM PHILLIPS - A Humument plate 329

Original limited edition on paper from Tom Phillips defining work A Humument.

Plate 329 from A Human Document (A Humument), the 1973 edition.  Initialled in pencil lower right.  This work comes from Volume viii, the title sheet of which is numbered 1/100 (see photo).  A photocopy of this will be included with the print.

The words “perform for a sudden spasm” are among those which stand out on the page 

It measures 14 x 19 cm sheet size and is in excellent condition, and has been stored in its original folio box a photo of which is shown for reference.  The story of A Humument is outlined below.

A Human Document (A Humument) is arguably the artist’s defining work.  A Humument was first started in 1966 when artist Tom Phillips, whilst out with his friend, Ronald Brooks Kitaj, set about finding a second-hand book for threepence for an art project he had conceived. His chosen novel, found in a junk shop, was an 1892 Victorian book titled A Human Document by W.H. Mallock.  He altered and brought new life into every page with painting, collage and cut-up techniques to create an entirely new version, interspersing fragments of the original text with art.  Tom Phillips titled his altered book A Humument. The original edition of 367 treated pages was completed in 1973 and was exhibited at the Institute of Contemporary Art in London before going on to be published as a limited edition of 100 by Tetrad Press (which this box set is one of) in  volumes I to X. The artist has worked on revisions ever since this time and on his website you can see both the original page of text from the book, the first print (this one) and then a subsequent version in 2014.  The series was exhibited in its entirety through 2013-14 at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and 100 pages from different versions were exhibited at Flowers Gallery, New York in 2015.  The first 48 pages of each version were also featured at the Royal Academy 2015 Summer Exhibition.

Phillips studied at the Ruskin School of Art in Oxford in 1957 followed by Camberwell where he was inspired by Frank Auerbach. His first solo show was in 1965 and has exhibited regularly around the world. In the 2015 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition he has a whole room dedicated to his A Humument works.

He taught at the famous Bath Academy of Art, Ipswich and Wolverhampton Art College between 1965 and 1972 and was appointed a Member of the Royal Society of Painter Etchers and Engravers in 1987.