Bukowski artwork (1 Viewer)

Rarely. Usually you will find his art bound into a special edition of one of the Black Sparrow books. Separate artworks are becoming more difficult to find, and quite expensive when you do find them.
 
has anyone ever seen anywhere that Bukowski's art has been critically analized? (is this the right word?) I think that some of his stuff is extremely strong and raw and stands well compared to other more famous abstract art. I don't recall where this has ever been written about.
 
Not that I know of, but someone did approach me (why me?) about doing a coffee table art book of Bukowski's work. I sent him to HC/Ecco, don't know if the idea ever made it to Linda.
 
I've been thinking about this too lately.
I was wondering why someone has not produced a book with his paintings and line drawings.
Ecco would never do it (would they?). It would have been one for BSP or, now, an independant.
 
Hi,
I would think that Linda would be into this idea, but not sure why this has not been done before. I would think that Ecco would make money from a $100 art coffeetable book and it would add one more dimension to Buk. I'm not sure what small press could do this well enough and have enough distribution to make money from it. To make money off of a full color coffeetable book like this, you would have to be in every borders in the country, I think. Small press distribution would not do it.

I would think that all of those people that own Bukowski art would be willing to have their art photograped for a book like that, so it can;t be a case of not having material.

Maybe mjp can ask Linda this the next time that he bumps into her at the grocery store....

Bill
 
Maybe mjp can ask Linda this the next time that he bumps into her at the grocery store....
Funny you should say that, I was thinking the other day that I never see her anymore. For a while there I couldn't avoid her, now - nothing from that side of town. Ha.
 
I would think that all of those people that own Bukowski art would be willing to have their art photograped for a book like that, so it can;t be a case of not having material.

Good points Bill, but, on this last one, I know that a lot of the art now resides overseas (ie not in the USA). So the project to find and photograph all the pieces would be an expensive one.
 
Hi,
Still, if this was a project that actually was put out by Ecco, they would probably get the help that they needed in locating the parties overseas from Linda, John Martin, Wiessner, etc. Plus, postings on a forum like this would get people interested. Of course, you would not find everything, but finding everything would give you too much material. Just the known collectors could probablyu contribute enough quality material to get tis done well.

Bill
 
Yes.
Then they should hop to it, damn it!
I just want a large clear copy of the drawing of Jon and Lou Webb where she is screaming "Bukowski, Bukowski, all we do is print Bukowski" and he tells her to cool it.
Realistically, how many copies of a book like this would sell? 100? 300? 500? How many would one have to sell just to break even given that the format would be large and the pages thick, glossy and in colour?
 
The rumor is that the final BSP Book "Bukowski" cost $300 each to produce. Now that was in a beautiful slipcase, etc. The point is that full color plates are very expensive...

Bill
 
I too would love a book of Buk's art (and contribute my painting). It doesn't need to be VERY expensive. I'd rather have a well done yet affordable book. (of course in THIS case I'd also pay, say, 100,- USD)

There's a German publisher (from Cologne) who is working international now too, his name is Benedikt Taschen.
http://www.taschen.com/
His price range goes from simple (but well done) coffeetable books at 12.99 USD to limited collector's items in the thousands. I can literally SEE this guy doing a book we'd love at the end-price around 50,- USD and would sell BIG.
 
Bukowskis art work is very much in his style. It is primitive, unusual and simplistic...I like it. Though, I'm sure, heavy handed critics, would see it in a terrible light compared to other artists: Van Gough, Piccaso, Dali...It doesn't reach near them, I imagine. But then Buk was a man first, a writer second and a painter...somewhere down the vague line.
 
Ecco would never put the book out, it isn't what that imprint does. They mainly reprint "evergreen" titles and make smaller profits just by keeping the titles in print.

The guy who approached me is a publisher of artists books, so it would be a small run, not done to make a fortune, but just to get it out there. I'll have to see if I can find his original email to me and see if he ever followed up.
 
mjp was approached probably because he runs bukowski.net. This is probably the same reason that he gets all of the requests for publishing and music rights related to Bukowski and all of the requests to provide Linda's address...

Bill
 
Well... that pretty much covers it.
But no... I bet you still get them asking silly questions(?)
 
Yes, they send email asking every question in that list, as if the list did not apply to them. Heh. I created a canned response long ago, so it's no big deal.

The best emails though, are the people who write messages to Bukowski. Like, "I love your work, I just discovered you last week!"

The weird thing is some who write "to" him say they discovered him through Born Into This, which - if I'm not mistaken - makes it pretty clear that he died...
 

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