Group of books, publications, letters by/about Rae Davis, Canadian performance artist: Unfoldings, Being & Doing, etc.
London, Ontario; Windsor, Canada, etc. From the estate of Davis's college roommate. We have: 1) Being and Doing: Rae Davis, Work (1959-1986). London Regional Art Gallery (1986). Small quarto, wraps, very good, light wear. 2) Unfoldings. Art Gallery of Windsor, 2001. Quarto, wraps, near fine. 3) Ephemera including folding flyer for "pulse.scan.fold" a collaboration between Barbara Sternberg and Davis at Gallery 101 in Ottawa, 1996; flyer & brochure for "surge" a collaboration between Sternberg & Davis at Koffler Gallery, Montreal; flyer for "Cataract"; 2 copies of Art Gallery of Windsor Winter 2002 Gallery Guide; 6 flyers for Unfoldings, at the Art Gallery of Windsor, 2001, plus postcard advertisement for the show; more ephemera about "Surge" at the AGW in 1998; material that Rae Davis sent to her college roommate regarding "Parachute #106" at the AGW in 2002 & photocopies of articles, addressed in hand by Davis; a little booklet of 3 original photos including Rae Davis when she was at Wellesley in 1949, with handwritten note from Davis dated 1997; note from Davis, dated 2000, enclosing pictures of grandchild; 2002 letter addressed to the Wellesley alumni magazine editor about Rae Davis's work and her latest show; 8x10 color photograph of Rae Davis, digital print; 1999 large envelope addressed by Rae Davis to her old college friend, with 2pp typed letter from Davis, 3 photos, a copy of "Teach" magazine from Jan/Feb. 1999 with article by Davis's daughter Martha, photocopy of an article by Rae Anderson on the video art of Martha Davis; spiral bound memorial services booklet for John Whitney Davis (Rae's husband) from 1998 and for Rae Davis from 2006, and some other minor ephemera and related material. Performance and installation artist Rae Davis lived and worked in London, Ontario from 1957 to 1987, when she moved to Toronto; she got her BA from Wellesley in 1949 and MA from Columbia in 1952. She was a free-lance theatre director for 15 years, producing the work of Beckett, Lorca, Gertrude Stein, and others. The nature of her work evolved from theatre to performance art and installation, in relation to language, architecture, scientific knowledge and kinetics. She created over 25 performance works, many of substantial length with as many as 8 performers. A major commissioned work, VANISHING ACTS, was shown in 1986, accompanied by a retrospective catalogue. She is considered one of the pioneers of modern performance art in Canada, her status the equivalent of Laurie Anderson's in the US. Very good. Item #H33199
Price: $300.00