ArchivesSpace at the University of Iowa

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The poem reads " A most magnificent kind of woners catalogue - DOCUMDNT the universe; and vanish - doumenti--libri----multa--admirandi! - at his bedside - all the reading of the thing with the stamp of art. tp ms and rs." Here Phillips is prising the Sackners' catalogue of their collection of concrete and visual poetry(1986) for which he also designed the cover. The same poem with a different image as a print with only 'tp' for Hansjorg Mayer publications catalogue is also held by the Sackner Archive. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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This is an English translation of an article in the periodical, Berenice that compares Sackner to Jacques Doucet, a Parisian couturier who established a great collection of the avant garde of the early twentieth century. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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Titled Dante in Winggield, Phillips writes that Astrid Furnival " has knitted me a new Dante sweater from the olive oil label etc." An actual label is collaged on the right side of this page next to a tag for Dante yarn. The newsprint is an advertisement of Dante's Inferno which is described "in the Sunday Times as stupendous, breathtakingly sumptous...epic...impressive limited de-lux edition took seven years to make." The handwritten dairy continues the tale of progress with a TV Dante. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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Titled "Dante on Broadway II" this collage has fragmented newspaper clippings from the New York Times of Le Bernadine Restaurant where Phillips writes that he had lunch with Marvin and Ruth Sackner and Martin and Diane Ackerman. Also collaged is the obituary of Dante scholar John Ciardi, a torn portion of the announcement of Phillip's talk at the Center for Book Arts and an announcement of a concert in Boston with Leo Phillips. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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Titled "Dante on Broadway" this collage contains handwritten and collaged additions describing Phillips' opening exhibition at the Center for Book Arts. Collaged elements include a match book cover from the Noho Star, the graphic design logo for Hero Boy, a picture on Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland holding a Broadway sign and the Hebraic calligraphy for 2nd Ave Deli. Phillips comments that there was a "very lively and successful opening on Broadway with lots of people close to me there, Leo and Ruth, the Sackners, the Ackermans and of course Richard [Minsky] who has made such a wonderful job of curating the exhibit ." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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This collage follows Phillips from London to Jamaica to Miami Beach. A hand addressed label in the upper right corner from Ruth and Marvin Sackner to Tom Phillips has the following written message: "25th Nov 1986 arrives the Sackner catalogue herein after known as the whopper with a list of their holdings & nominally all the important Dante material." A record of Phillips' diary entries are written on the left side of the collage dating from November,1986 to March 1987. An invitation to an exhibition of Phillips' graphic works at the National Gallery of Jamaica is collaged at the top center. Phillips includes a portion from the Dante piece by Paul Laffoley hanging in the Sackner Archive. l -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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This first page is dated with handpainted Roman numeral 26 Mar 1984. Phillips writes, "A year after our first proper meeting, Peter [Greenaway] and I are ready to start; as usual the waiting for finance causes most of the delay...It was only after I consulted my chronology notes I realized and remembered that Dante's journey actually begins on March 26th. Thus the auspices seemed good indeed." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents This page consists of three small rectangular panels in its right third and a collaged, almost obscured text from typed carbon backing on its left two thirds. The uppermost panel on the right side is a collage made from a logograph that also appears in Phillips' Dante's Diary book, entitled "WHYSPEND." The middle panel is a handwritten, micrographic portion of Phillips diary in which he discusses meetings with Peter [Greenaway] and viewing Edward Muybridge original photographs at the V&A. The lowermost panel consists of a rectangular collage made from the Sackner Archive stationery. The section on the right two-thirds of the drawing consists of the circular drawing WHYSPEND collaged onto the typed carbon backing of "the thirty three sheets of notes to accompany the Thames and Hudson edition of Dante. A careworn piece of paper." In this collage, only an illegible shadowy remnant of words remains. This drawing anticipates the typed carbon backing for the translation of Dante's...

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This page is divided into a grid of nine rectangles that are described by Phillips as "nine versions of 'many different tongues' connected to Dante and worked on on Sunday XV/VII, including scrambled script by myself, confused Mallock, random bank numbers, parts of the Sackner letterheading, reproductions of pictures of mine from Stuttgart & the Tate Gallery & Waddington Catalogue (after Dante in his study) & two fake scripts from scratch." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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This is a review of the Tom Phillips "A Humument" exhibition at the Kamin Gallery, Van Pelt Library of the University of Pennsylvania. The Sackner Archive lent the works to this exhibition. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The catalogue, "Human Documents: Tom Phillips's Art of the Page" curated by Daniel Traister, preface by Marvin Sackner, from the University of Pennsylvania Libraries, won an award from the Association of College and Research Libraries. Marvin Sackner also participated in the Awards presentations. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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Review of the ICA exhibition "Personal Choice: Selections from Four Penn Alumni Collections" at the University of Pennsylvania in which the Sackner Archive participated. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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Gunther recounts a visit to the Sackner Archive in 1994. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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Phillips mentions that in 1975 he met the Sackners who founded the Archive holding most of his works. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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This is a review of Tom Phillips' Slade Lectures. The Sackners attended two of the eight and were interviewed by Vetta at one of them. She wrote the following. "At the opening I met a charming couple from Miami who have been collectors of Tom's work since they saw his 1974 exhibition. They thought it was the work of more than one artist. I asked what attracted them in addition to the diversity. They replied 'his wit and intellect.' I would add to that his sensitivity to color." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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This manuscript summarizes books and essays published by Kostelanetz over the years dealing with the subject of the title. He has dedicated the book to Ruth & Marvin Sackner. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents This first page from Dante Diary, which is dated from February 28, 1979 to March 19, 1979, includes several indirect references to Ruth and Marvin Sackner. First, there is a sketch of a large drawing which was subsequently acquired by the Sackner Archive, "Letters from a Crane Skin Bag." Then Phillips mentions that Grove Press is working on a portfolio of Dante heads for "Martin Ackerman's [financial] scheme. Phillips introduced Ackerman to the Sackners who became became a close personal friends as well as continuing supporters of Phillips' work. Tom Phillips writes that a portrait of Hilary Hugh-Jones is in progress in the studio. Hugh-Jones was a friend of the Sackners. "Pella meets me from Edinburg" refers to Pella Erskine-Tulloch, Tom's bookbinder and friend whose work is well represented in the Archive. Finally, Phillips composed a poem about Mallarme whose most important work, "Un Coup de Des," became the initial starting point for the Sackner Archive collection. [There was...

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This second page from Dante Diary, which is dated from March 27, 1979 to April 19, 1979, includes a direct reference to Marvin Sackner. Philllips mentions discussing with him regarding self publishing Dante's 'inferno.' There are several, diverse sketches depicted on this page including a portrait of Hilary Hugh-Jones near the center at the the lower border. Her husband Philip Hugh-Jones, a British pulmonary physician was a friend of Marvin Sackner. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.