Various Artists

Gwen L. Allen, "The Magazine as a Medium", Artist's Magazines: An Alternative Space for Art, Cambridge and London, 2011, p. 43, 47, 297—98, illustrated in color (another example illustrated)

Gwen L. Allen, "Artist as Publisher: William N. Copley's S.M.S.", William N. Copley, Milan and Houston, 2016, pp. 154—161, illustrated in color (another example illustrated)

Gwen L. Allen, "Artists' Magazines", Gagosian Quarterly, New York, 2019, pp. 110—11, illustrated in color (another example illustrated)

Ursula Block and Michael Glasmeier, Broken Music: Artists' Recordworks, p. 127, 230, illustrated, 248 (another example illustrated)

Marie Boivent, La Revue d'Artiste: Enjeux et Spécificités d'une Practique Artistique, Saint Senoux, 2015, pp. 147—56, illustrated (another example illustrated)

Daniel Bucholz and Gregorio Magnani (ed.). International Index of Multiples from Duchamp to the Present, Tokyo and Kӧln, 1993, p. 221 (another example)

documenta 6, Kassel, Germany, 1977, p. 335 no. 3 (another example)

Duccio Dogheria, "Sei pacchi a sorpresa: 'SMS, il perodico-museo'", Charta, vol. 117, p. 44

Constance Glenn, The Great American Pop Store: Multiples of the Sixties, Long Beach and Santa Monica, 1998, p. 77 illustrated (another example illustrated)

Michael Maizels and Lindsey Lodhie, "S.M.S. [digital survey]", Sensate Journal, Wellesley and Cambridge, 2014

Sharon Mizota, "Shit Must Stop", Art on Paper, pp. 42—53, illustrated in color (another example illustrated)

Anne Delcroix-Moeglin, Esthétique du livre d'artiste: Un introduction à l'art contemporain, Marseille, 2012, p. 116

Ratcliff Carter, "S.M.S.: Art in Real Time", S.M.S.: A Collection of Multiples, New York, 1988

Arturo Schwarz, "Cover for 'S.M.S.'", The Complete Works of Marcel Duchamp, New York, 1997, vol. 2, pp. 886—87, no. 654, illustrated (another example illustrated)

Andrea Theil, "Hat, 1968", Roy Lichtenstein: A Catalogue Raisonnée, New York, no. RLCR 1527, illustrated in color (another example illustrated)

Mary Lee Corlett, "Hat", The Prints of Roy Lichtenstein: A Catalogue Raisonnée, 1948—1997, New York and Washington D.C., 1994, p. 294, no. III.9, illustrated in color (another example illustrated)

Jud Yalkut, "Toward an Intermedia Magazine", Arts Magazine, 1968, p. 14

New York, Reinhold-Brown Gallery, SMS: The Portable Museum of Original Multiples in 6 Portfolios Published in 1968 by The Letter Edged in Black Press, 11 October — 11 December 1988 (another example)

Paris, Didier Le Contre et Denis Ozanne, S.M.S., 25 April — 27 May 1989 (another example)

Ulm, Germany, Ulm Museum, William N. Copley: True Confessions, 27 April — 15 June 1997 (another example)

Houston, Texas, The Menil Collection, William N. Copley: The World According to CPLY, 19 February — 24 July 2016 (another example)

Brooklyn, New York, Eidia House, William N. Copley's S.M.S. "Shit Must Stop", 11 — 25 June 2016 (another example)

New York, Alden Projects, Publishing the Portable Museum: William N. Copley's The Letter Edged in Black Press, 18 March — 13 May 2018 (another example)

New York, Kasmin Gallery, Copley's Circle, 7 October — 15 December 2020 (online presentation)

Chamusca, Portugal, Consultorio Project Room, S.M.S.: Shit Must Stop, 1968, 22 April — 23 July 2022 (another example)

Paris, Centre d'Art Immanence, S.M.S, Shit Must Stop, 2 March — 27 April 2024 (another example)

The present lot features a selection of mixed media works compiled between six portfolios and published bi-monthly in 1968 by the Letter Edged in Black Press, Inc., founded by artists William N. Copley and Dmitri Petrov. The contributors to S.M.S. comprise some of the most influential artists of the 20th century including Roy Lichtenstein, Christo, Walter de Maria, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, On Kawara and Yoko Ono amongst others. The politically charged title, a private abbreviation for "Shit Must Stop," calls to mind the publisher's rejection of conformity in the art world and S.M.S.'s deliberate avoidance of stylistic classification. 

Each portfolio contains works meticulously constructed with unconventional media, spanning a wide range of conceptual and poetic themes. The artists' collaboration brings attention to the sense of comradery established within an intergenerational artistic community, and in engaging with the work, invites viewers to experience it first hand. “The primary concern of the publishers is to realize the poetic statement in review form," the publishers stated. "It is the presence of the artist’s personality in the vocabulary and form of his own choosing that is desired, not an exercise in conformity.”

Contributing artists to S.M.S.:

Issue no. 1 (February 1968)

Irving Petlin (cover), Sue Braden, James Lee Byars, Christo, Walter de Maria, Richard Hamilton, Julien Levy, Kasper König, Sol Mednick, Nancy Reitkopf, La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela.

Issue no. 2 (April 1968)

Marcel Duchamp (cover), Nicolas Calas, Bruce Conner, Marcia Herscovitz, Alain Jacquet, Ray Johnson, Lee Lozano, Meret Oppenheim, Bernard Pfriem, George Reavey, Clovis Trouille

Issue no. 3 (June 1968)

John Battan (cover), Aftograf, Enrico Baj, William Bryant (Billy Copley), Dick Higgins, Joseph Kosuth, Ronnie Landfield, Roland Penrose, Man Ray, H.C. Westermann, Hannah Weiner, Terry Riley

Issue no. 4 (August 1968)

Robert Stanley (cover), Arman Fernandez, Paul Bergtold, John Cage, Hollis Frampton, On Kawara, Roy Lichtenstein, Lil Picard, Mimmo Rotella, Robert Watts, Princess Winifred, La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela

Issue no. 5 (October 1968)

Congo, a chimpanzee (cover), William Anthony (inside cover), Wall Batterton, William N. Copley, Edward Fitzgerald, Neil Jenney, Angus Maclise, Bruce Nauman, Yoko Ono, Mel Ramos, Robert Rohm, William Schwedler, Diane Wakowski

Issue no. 6. (December 1968)

Richard Artschwager (cover), Ed Bereal, Dieter Roth, Betty Dodson, Ronaldo Ferri, John Giorno, Toby Mussman, Adrian Nutbeam, Claes Oldenburg, Mischa Petrow, Jean Reavey, Paul Steiner, Bernar Venet

Please note that the following artists did not sign their contributions to the deluxe S.M.S. portfolio:

(1) Marcel Duchamp

(2) H. C. Westermann

(3) Robert Watts

(4) Toby Mussman

(5) On Kawara

(6) Arman

(7) Congo (a chimpanzee)

(7) Aftograf

(8) Princess Winifred