This First Edition-First Printing of the book about Patti Smith's life with Robert Mapplethorpe is beautifully signed by the legendary performer in black pen on the title page. The book was signed in person at the Skylight Books here in Los Angeles on Jan 19, 2010. A photo of the signing will be included with the purchase. Also included. is a combine painting of a womans face done on a cloth head form by Robert Maplethorpe. This piece is from Robert Mapplethorpe's estate and is visible in the documentary "Chelsea Hotel 1970" at 8 minutes 47 seconds (available on You Tube) and in the HBO Documentary "Mapplethorpe: Look At The Pictures" at 17 minutes and 47 seconds. In the late 1960's Robert Mapplethorpe studied the Rauschenberg technique of combine painting at the Pratt Institute in New York. As he had this in his apartment with his iconic hat on it in 1970 that fits with it having been a project of his for school. I obtained the piece from Art Director / Production Designer William Doig. In October 1989 he was working as the manager in an antique collectable shop in the Soho district in Manhattan. An associate of Dimitri Levas brought a number of items into the store that were not going to be part of the Mapplethorpe Auction at Christies. This item was one of the pieces brought in for them to sell. William Doig purchased this for himself. A letter from William Doig will be included with the purchase.
First edition, letter "T" of the lettered issue. Signed by Patti Smith on the limitation page and additionally inscribed to Television front-man, former lover and life-long friend, "for Tom Verlaine / 'son of a neck'" (quoting Rilke's "Fifth Elegy"). Provenance: from the collection of the late rock musician, Tom Verlaine. Smith and Verlaine were both significant figures in the New York punk and art scene of the 1970s, and known for their close personal and professional relationship. 45 pp. Bound in publisher's black cloth, photographic portrait paste-on of the author by Robert Mapplethorpe to upper cover. Fine. Accompanied by a note provided by Smith explaining it's sister copy, "Letter V", which was also gifted to Tom Verlaine along with this copy, "Letter T", now resides with her: "This is letter T of Witt, actually pronounced white. But with wit intentions. I gave it to Tom when we lived on East 11th Street. Later I give him a V, which is now thoughtfully in my hands. So you who now hold T and I the V are Tom connected. Patti Smith NYC." On the verso is a charming pencil sketch of Tom Verlaine, captioned "A nose like a diamond / TV / It's a fact, a nose like a diamond, Tom." With an additional note on Smith's personalized Cartier stationary and envelope marked by her with the letter "T", "A note with a small drawing of Tom to accompany T of Witt with all good wishes Patti Smith". A beautiful association copy published the year the two musicians met, seen as an eternal link between Verlaine and Smith by Smith herself.
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