Lot of original collage art pieces from the 1970s Mail Art community, led by Ray Johnson.
The lot consists of (4) pieces my listed artist E.M. (Edward M.) Plunkett sent to his friend Jim Harrion in the 1970s. Lot includes:
*Mailed decorated envelope postmarked 30 APR 1972 (?); contents a mini collage consisting of a young man's headshot clipped from a newspaper stapled to blue tissue paper stamped FUNK ITEM / WILL SELF DESTRUCT.
*Mailed envelope with 1971 stamp and rubber stamped on back with 3 of Plunkett's known stamps; contents: an article from The Detroit News dated 10/18/71 with three rubber stamps and the photo embellished in pen in a style recognizable with Plunkett's art drawings.
* [no envelope - art piece only] - collage piece on 8 1/2 x 11 paper folded in thirds - stapled to it are a piece of torn gray tissue paper a gonzo gossip column from a news magazine and a magazine of a male nude seen from behind. There are multiple Plunkett stampings on both sides.
* [no envelope - art piece only] - collage piece on a scrap of art
paper folded in half - collage inside is a lurid anatomy image clipped from a German publication. Handwritten caption reads, "photo taken at Plunquett din-dins, Halloween 1971. There are multiple Plunkett stampings on
both sides. Measures about 5 3/4 square.
Plunkett is an important figure both for his drawings and prints and his Mail Art - it was he who coined the term "New York Correspondence School."
The piece came from an old family friend, Jim Harrison, who was a Manhattan artist, writer and collector who was active in the downtown NYC art and gay cultural scene starting in the Sixties until his death in 2018. He participated casually in Mail Art and was acquainted with some of the leaders in the movement. I recall specifically that Plunkett was one of his favorite people.
A few years before he died he gave me a box of miscellaneous fun and interesting papers he'd gathered over the years and some pieces of vintage mail art were mixed in with it. I am now listing his Mail Art so check the others out if you wish and know that I will gladly combine shipping.
Feel free to get in touch if you have questions or want more photos -- and thanks for looking.