het SOHM BOEK

catalogue number: 1978.081.2
date created: 1958-1972/1978
classification: editions & publications
work type: artist's publication
medium: portfolio in black lacquered wooden box with labeled cover containing 57 sheets with collages, assemblages, prints, drawings, and photographs in varying sizes, mounted on sheets of one size and placed in chronological order from 1958 til 1977. The last sheet contains an envelope of pergamin paper with postmark 2.2.78. In it a maple leaf with handwritten note; cover sheet of black clay paper with attached label (black ink) 'het SOHM BOEK / herman de vries'
dimensions: 56 + 1 (title page) sheets, each sheet 32.8 × 32.8 cm (with variable motif sizes)
cassette 35 × 35 × 7.5 cm
signature and inscriptions: irregular titled, signed and dated on the reverse of the original works (graphite pencil)
numbered 'SB', titled, signed and dated (irregular) on the white sheet on which the individual works are attached (graphite pencil)
edition: 1/1
current repository: collection Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Stuttgart
current repository number: AS 2016/2984
collecting history: collection Hanns Sohm, Markgröningen (1981)
related works:
comment: herman de vries's most distinctive artistic medium is the book, the artist's book. He published his first in 1960, and dozens have appeared since. In addition, there are journalistic series such as the Dutch ZERO magazine revue nul = 0 (1961-1964), from which he emancipated himself with revue integration (1965-1972), as well as the loose series of his 'eschenau summer press publications', initiated in 1974. Thus, Hanns Sohm's first contact with herman de vries at the end of 1963 was through his publications; he subsequently collected them all and also acquired part of the artist's archive. As a kind of retrospective in a box—think of Marcel Duchamp's famous 'Boîte-en-valise'- herman de vries dedicated 'HET SOHM BOEK' to his friend in 1978, a portfolio in a black lacquered wooden box. On 57 square sheets, it contains exemplary collages, assemblages, prints, drawings, and photographs from de vries's oeuvre, arranged in chronological order, from his informal material images of the 1950s, through his ZERO-inspired geometric monochromes and systematized random operations of the 1960s, to his photo documentation of a defined space-time segment of the 1970s. The final part is an transparent envelope with a leaf dated October 21, 1977 and sent to Hanns Sohm on February 2, 1978 [source: website Staatsgalerie Stuttgart].
photo/scan: © Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Stuttgart
rights & reproduction: herman de vries
extended description

[SB 1] title page

[SB 2] 'wit/weiss'
titled and signed on the reverse

[SB 3] [untitled (collage trouvé)] 1958
textile on board; signed and dated on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 4] [untitled] 1959
black paper on paper; signed 'her' on the front (graphite pencil) and dated 'wageningen 2/9/1959' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 5] [untitled] 1959/1968
printing ink on paper; signed, dated and numbered on the front (graphite pencil) and inscribed 'gedrukt in 1968' on the reverse of 12/12 and the a.p. (graphite pencil); edition 12, this number 2

[SB 6] [untitled] 1960
mixed media on cardboard; dated '6-11 april + 25 sept. '60' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 7] [untitled] 1960
black paper and tinfoil on paper; signed and dated 'her '60' on the front (graphite pencil) and dated 1-7 oct. '60' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 8] [untitled] 1960
collage with unknown material; dated '5 oct. 1960' and notes '- gedeeltelijk afgescheurde kollage uit één stuk -' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 9] [untitled (reflecties)] 1960
white paint and glass beads on paper; signed and dated 'her 19 nov. 1960' on the front (graphite pencil) and - refelectie -' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 10] [untitled] 1960 [1962?]
white paper squares, arranged alternately in a 5 × 7 grid pattern, on paper

[SB 11] [untitled] 1961
paint on paper (6.5 × 6.5 cm); signed 'her' and dated '24 3 61' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 12] [untitled] 1961
white paper square on paper; signed and dated 'maart 1961' on the reverse (graphite pencil) [?]

[SB 13] [untitled] 1961
collage with shiny paper

[SB 14] radering 1961
sheet of white paper divided in two parts by tear line (motif size 15 × 21 cm); titled 'radering', signed, dated 'mei 1961' and numbered on the reverse (graphite pencil); edition 10, this numbered 10/10

[SB 15] [untitled] 1961
brown paper squares on brown paper; signed and dated on the reverse (graphite pencil) [?]

[SB 16] [untitled] 1961
brown paper squares on brown paper; signed and dated on the reverse (graphite pencil) [?]

[SB 17] [untitled] 1961
2 brown paper squares on brown paper; signed and dated on the reverse (graphite pencil) [?]

[SB 18] [untitled] 1961
numbers (with numerator) on paper; signed and dated on the reverse (graphite pencil) [?]

[SB 19] random objectivation 1962
black paper squares, arranged in a 4 × 4 grid pattern with random selection to place the element or not, on black paper; signed and dated '15-10-1962' on the reverse [?]; the collage was exhibited in 1970 in 'herman de vries. random objectivations', Kunsthistorisch Instituut, Amsterdam (catalogue number 3)

[SB 20] at random 1962/63
30 squares of coloured paper, arranged in a 6 × 5 grid pattern with at random selection of colour, on paper (motif size 27 × 21 cm); titled 'at random', signed and dated 'november 1962-26/1/63' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 21] random objectivation 1963
11 white paper squares, arranged in a 4 × 8 grid pattern with at random choice to place the element or not, on paper; signed and dated '16-3-1963' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 22] wit op wit 1963
white paper square, arranged at an at random selected angle, on paper (motif size 32.8 × 32.8 cm); titled 'wit op wit', signed and dated '17-3-1963' on the reverse (graphite pencil). The work 'wit op wit [= white on white]' forms a duo with the simultaneously created 'wit op zwart [= white on black]'

[SB 23] [untitled (yellow printing)] 1963
yellow printing ink on paper; signed and dated on the reverse (graphite pencil) [?]; edition 2, this numbered 1/2

[SB 24] camp at random 1964
vertical white paper strips placed at random, on paper (motif size 21.4 × 27.4 cm); signed and dated '1/2/1964' (graphite pencil) + custom stamp on the reverse

[SB 25] 1 × at random 1964
1 small white paper square, placed at random, on paper; dated '9 maart 1964' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 26] 1966/62 toevalsobjektivering 1966
17 black paper strips (1 × 7.5 cm), arranged based on the coordinates x and y and the distance of the beginning of the strip, related to the coordinates, on paper (motif size 20 × 20 cm) [program as 1966/52]; dated/work number '1966/62' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 27] V67-43 random objectivation 1967
36 white paper rectangles (1 × 2 cm), distributed on a grid pattern with at random direction (degrees) from the corners of the grid, on paper (motif size 16 × 16 cm); dated/work number 'V67-43' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 28] V67-46 random objectivation 1967
3 paper strips (1 × 15 cm), distributed with at random selection of place and colour (red, blue and yellow), on paper (motif size 20 × 20 cm); dated/work number 'V67-46' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 29] V67-67 at random situated lines in a follow-up 1967
5 white paper strips (1 × 14 cm), distributed at random, on paper (motif size 15 × 15 cm); dated/work number 'V67-67' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 30] V67-71 randomised figure 1967
2 black paper strips (1 × 15 cm), distributed with at random selection of location and direction (but they should touch each other), on paper (motif size 16 × 16 cm) [program as V67-69]; dated/work number 'V67-71' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 31] V67-72 randomised figure 1967
2 black paper strips (1 × 15 cm), distributed with at random selection of location and direction (but they should touch each other), on paper [program as V67-71] (motif size 16 × 16); dated/work number 'V67-72' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 32] V68-79 random objectivation 1968
30 white paper squares (1 × 1 cm and 2 × 2 cm), distributed with at random selected place, size and direction, on paper (motif size 24 × 24 cm); dated/work number 'V68-79' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 33] V68-234 a.r. [= at random] 1968
white paper strips (1 × 10.5 cm), distributed from each side with at random selected number (1-9) and direction, on black paper (motif size 27 × 27 cm); dated/work number 'V68-234' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 34] V69-09 a.r. [= at random] 1969
series of 5 identical drawings with red and black ink lines, arranged with at random selection of colour (red/black), number [= 17] and place of the starting and ending points of lines, on paper (motif size 32.8 × 32.8 cm); signed, dated/work number 'V69-09' and numbered on the reverse (graphite pencil); edition 5, this numbered 2/5

[SB 35-37] V69-32a-c 1969
3 drawings with dot in black ink with at random selected place, on paper (motif size 32.8 × 32.8 cm); signed and dated/work number 'V69-32a[-c]' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 38] handwritten text of 'let's be rational' (motif size 32.8 × 32.8 cm)

[SB 39] V69-33 a.r. [= at random] 1969
starting from a randomly chosen point on one side and connecting a randomly selected point on one other side etc. till the end of at random selected number of lines (= 50), black ink on paper (motif size 32.8 × 32.8 cm); signed and dated/work number 'V69-33' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 40] V69-34 re-emotionalisering 1969
81 squares (2 × 2 cm) cut from a magazine (portrait of a girl) reassembled with at random selection of place and direction of the squares, on paper (motif size 18.4 × 18.4 cm); signed and dated/work number 'V69-34' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 41-43] V69-36a-c eb en vloed 1969
3 drawings with a line exactly in the middle (a), a line 0.5 cm below the middle (b) and 1 cm below the middle (c); in black ink on paper (motif size 32.8 × 32.8 cm); signed and dated/work number 'V69-36a[-c] on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 44] V70-10 colours at random 1970
horizontal and vertical lines from side to side with at random choice of colour; coloured ink on paper (motif size 32.8 × 32.8 cm); signed and dated/work number 'V70-10' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 45] V70-11 a.r. [= at random] 1970
line connecting points with randomly selected number and place, starting at 'a' and ending at 'e'; black ink on blue graph paper (motif size 29.7 × 21 cm); dated/work number 'V70-11' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 46] V67-15 1967
black slashes by the typewriter are typed in blocks, distributed at random with the same number of keystrokes; printing ink on paper (mimeographed) (motif size 24.5 × 16.5 cm); dated/work number 'V67-15' on the front (printed) and numbered and signed on the reverse (graphite pencil); edition 20, this numbered 6/20

[SB 47] sketches and notes for SB 48 and SB 49

[SB 48] V70-23 random colour structure 1970
coloured cardboard (for Ahrend planning board) squares (3 × 3 cm), arranged in a 10 × 10 grid pattern with at random selection of colour (10 colours), on board (motif size 30 × 30 cm); signed and dated/work number 'V70-23' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 49] V70-18T random colour structure 1970
colour paper (for Ahrend planning board) squares (3 × 3 cm), arranged in a 10 × 10 grid pattern with at random selection of colour (10 colours), on paper (motif size 30 × 30 cm); signed and dated/work number 'V70-18T' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 50] V67-26 1967
dots by the typewriter, placed inside vertical areas of 14 keystrokes alternating between 30% and 70% coverage at random, printing ink on paper (mimeographed) (motif size 29.7 × 21 cm); signed, dated/work number 'V67/26' and numbered on the reverse (graphite pencil); edition 26, this numbered 24/26

[SB 51] V71-101 1971
on the intersections of a 3 × 3 cm grid, dots are arranged with at random selected size (5 sizes); black ink on paper (motif size 30 × 30 cm); signed and dated/work number 'V71-101' on the reverse (graphite pencil)

[SB 52] V71-109 1971
dots (in 5 sizes) arranged on the intersections of the lines of a 1 × 1 cm grid; for each group of 4 crossings one dot with at random size, black ink on blue graph paper (motif size 15 × 28 cm) [program as v71-102]; dated/work number 'V71-109' on the reverse (black ink)

[SB 53] V71-117S 1971
horizontal lines at a distance of 5 mm with at random choice of colour (black/red), coloured ink on paper (motif size 22 × 22 cm); dated/work number 'V71-117S' on the reverse (ink); created in cooperation with susanne jacob de vries (S)

[SB 54] tautological postcards
missing in the SOHM BOEK, but still in the archive of herman and susanne de vries. The postcards with work number v72-18 were never sent

[SB 55] V72-33S 1972
on the intersections of 10 guides connecting randomly selected sides and points, circles are placed with random diameter (2-10 cm), black ink on paper (motif size 32.8 × 32.8 cm); signed and dated/work number 'V72-33S' on the reverse (graphite pencil); ; created in cooperation with susanne jacob de vries (S)

[SB 56-57] v72-162 I-II 1972
8 colour prints of the Merwede east of Gorinchem on April 12, 1972; the photos were taken every 3 minutes: 16:07 [left out], 16:10, 16:13, 16:19, 16:19, 16:22, 16:25, 16:28 and 16:31 (each photo 9 × 12 cm)

envelope with leaf 1978

exhibition history
1980 'herman de vries. publicaties', Kunsthistorisch Instituut, Groningen
2016 'Schaufenster Sohm VI - herman de vries', Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Stuttgart