Cesar Chavez Signed First Edition, Unique Case/Sculpture by Richard Tuttle

Case/Sculpture Details:  As with all of Richard Tuttle’s pieces, this is a one of a kind binding that captures the spirit of the book and returns us to a time when books were beautiful to display as well as read. In a world of mediocrity and mass produced books, he believes important literary works are special and should be treasured and passed on to future generations.

Richard Tuttle has created a spectacular custom wood crate slipcase/sculpture to house the signed first edition of Cesar Chavez’s autobiography. The slipcase is made from an actual California Fruit Exchange crate with the title embossed on one side and the Huelga symbol of National Farm Workers stenciled on the other side. The slipcase/sculpture was done in 2010.

The book measures 9.5” x 6” and the case measures 12.75” x 7”

Book Details:  This is a first edition of “Cesar Chavez: Autobiography of La Causa” published W.W. Norton & Co. in 1975. The book is bound in cloth covered boards and comes in a photographically illustrated dust jacket. The condition of the book is Near FINE with light bumping to the spine in a Near FINE dust jacket with the most minimal of wear. The dust jacket is clipped at the bottom corner of the front flap but with price intact in the upper corner. The book is protected by a mylar covering.

The book is signed, dated, and inscribed by Cesar Chavez on the half title page.

Artist Statement: Included with the book is a signed artist statement by Richard Tuttle on the making of “Cesar Chavez”.

About the Artist: Richard Tuttle is a painter, writer, graphic designer, carpenter, bookbinder and lover of literature. For the past 20 years, he has combined his many interests to create one of a kind works of art that merge the written word with fine leather, paper, paint, wood and veneer. These original book bindings have been exhibited in numerous galleries and were featured in a PBS documentary on the Chicago Art beat. Richard describes his work as follows:  “I make literary artifacts. They are designed to pull books down off the shelf and display them in the salon, gallery or home as if they were works of art, which, of course, they are. Whether binding books with leather, paper, paint, wood, and found artifacts or building sculptures to encase the volumes, I seek to find a perspective that shouts out a piece of the essence of the literary work. I try to put myself in the author's or character's mind to say something about the time it was written in; the attitude that is explored and expressed; the magic that makes it a work of art. While I obviously respect and admire the books I work on, the humor, wit and raw energy I find so attractive in their works leads me to places that some might call disrespectful, but are, for me, essential parts of these literary works. Motivated by Marcel Duchamp's attempts to elevate the object into art and William Blake's efforts to remake his world and James Joyce's efforts to include all culture and all action in one whole: Motivated by the ongoing conversation of Jazz musicians between its earliest practitioners and its most avante garde practitioners: Motivated by the great world library of "what we are" as extolled by Jorge Luis Borges: Motivated by the desire to live in a world that is conscious of itself and conscious of its ability to create itself: I create these art objects out of books in order be surrounded by a physical environment that reflects the world of ideas I want to live in.”

Condition Report: The case/sculpture is in FINE condition.

Photographs of the sculpture, book, and signature treatment appear in the photo section of the listing.