Kostabi: The Early Years [Presentation Copy Inscribed to Kim Alexis — First Edition]

Item Details

New York, Vanity Press, 1990, Hardcover with Dust Jacket

First Edition, Fine/Fine

A particularly interesting association copy of the monumental early retrospective of Mark Kostabi, documenting his emergence from New York's 1980s East Village art scene and the development of the distinctive faceless figures that became his visual signature.

The importance of this copy lies in Kostabi's substantial inscription to Kim Alexis, one of the leading American models of the 1980s and early 1990s. Rather than a routine autograph, Kostabi thanks Alexis specifically for retitling his painting The Educated Plumber and dates the inscription July 12, 1993.

The inscription consequently documents an identifiable interaction between Kostabi and a prominent figure from the contemporary fashion and celebrity world—and, more unusually, connects Alexis directly with the naming of one of his works.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: A MONUMENTAL RECORD OF KOSTABI'S EARLY CAREER. 
+++ Publisher's red cloth with large gilt spine lettering and gilt pictorial device to the front board. Original color pictorial dust jacket.
+++ Large folio, 14.5 inches tall; 524 pages. 
+++ Profusely illustrated throughout, predominantly in color, reproducing Kostabi's paintings alongside photographs and documentary material relating to his career and the New York art scene. 
+++ The volume includes bibliographical references, pp. 518–522.
+++ First Edition, First Printing. 
+++ INSCRIBED TO SUPERMODEL KIM ALEXIS. Kostabi has written prominently across the title page: ‘FOR KIM ALEXIS THANK YOU FOR RE-TITLING MY PAINTING THE EDUCATED PLUMBER ON 7-12-1993’ followed by his large signature and the repeated date 7-12-1993.

CONDITION: FINE IN FINE DUST JACKET. No flaws or blemishes noted beyond minimal shelf handling. Binding tight and square; cloth clean and bright; interior clean. Minor dust dulling to the top edge of the text block. Dust jacket remains bright and exceptionally well preserved. Still Gift Quality.

ARTISTIC SIGNIFICANCE: THE EAST VILLAGE AND THE MAKING OF KOSTABI. 
The Early Years is a substantial visual and documentary record of Kostabi's rise during the highly publicized New York art world of the 1980s. Paintings are accompanied by photographs, exhibition material, press documentation, and accounts of the personalities surrounding the artist. The book itself has continued to serve as a reference for works from this period; auction and gallery catalogues cite individual paintings to their reproductions in the volume.

ART, CELEBRITY & THE BUSINESS OF TITLES. 
Kostabi's collaborative approach at Kostabi World often extended beyond the physical production of his paintings. This inscription documents Kim Alexis's participation in that process, with Kostabi specifically thanking her for ‘re-titling my painting The Educated Plumber.’ The association therefore goes beyond celebrity ownership, recording her direct contribution to the naming of a Kostabi work.

GENRES: Art Monographs, Contemporary Art, American Art, Exhibition and Art Documentation, Association Copies, Signed Books

SUBJECTS: Mark Kostabi, Kim Alexis, Kostabi World, East Village Art, New York Art Scene, 1980s Art, Contemporary American Art, The Educated Plumber, Artist Studios, Artistic Collaboration, Art and Celebrity, Fashion Culture

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