Liam Gillick, 'A little England' 1990
From the personal archive of Peter Townsend (1919-2006), Editor, Writer and Sinologist. Renowned editor of Studio International (1965-1975); founder editor of Art Monthly UK (1976) and of Art Monthly Australia (1987), Townsend also founded Space Studios and Artists Information Registry alongside Bridget Riley and Peter Sedgley.
A unique work by Liam Gillick inscribed “For Peter, A little England”. A unique work on paper made in 1990 a room next to the offices of Art Monthly London. According to the artist, the text was arranged on an Apple Macintosh SE30 and printed on Ingres paper probably using an early laser-writer printer. Titled, signed and dated Liam Gillick 1990 in pencil verso.
The following artist statement is taken from an email sent by Liam Gillick to Rob Maconachie of Room & Book on 14/04/2025:
“It’s a unique work that I produced for Peter as a gift. At the time I was working part time for the magazine [Art Monthly] and also using a room next to the office to make my own work and work on editions with Jack Wendler (the co-founder of Art Monthly).
I had introduced computers into the office - in this case an Apple Macintosh SE30 and I did a few works with it all on Ingres paper. Probably printed on an early laser-writer.
This is a one-off from a sort of series (I don’t make series of works but some play with similar ideas) I made at the time titled “Places and Medical Fraud”. Each one listed locations of significant progressive architecture - single buildings, public buildings etc etc. or locations of medical fraud without any further details. The whole point was to bring together two aspects of society without attempting to resolve them or link them. I continued later to do similar things including in a set of prints now in the collection of MoMA in NY.
At the time I was interested in the fact that over time I would forget the specific buildings referred to. And in this case it has worked. I can’t remember what I was referring to. It was a mind-game around questions of the trajectory of modernity in parallel to the development of modernism as a critical double.
The work refers to places that are significant in the development of “better” architecture and structures and therefore vulnerable to being erased and superseded.”
Title: A little England
Artist: Liam Gillick
Date: 1990
Format: laser-writer print on Ingres paper, 21.0 x 29.7 cm
Condition: Fine
Stock Number:RB04447 PT 78
Printed text reads:
Hemel Hempstead 1948
Stevenage 1932
Hitchin 1956
Gerrards Cross 1981
Amersham 1924
Chesham 1880
Click here to view further items from the Peter Townsend archive
From the personal archive of Peter Townsend (1919-2006), Editor, Writer and Sinologist. Renowned editor of Studio International (1965-1975); founder editor of Art Monthly UK (1976) and of Art Monthly Australia (1987), Townsend also founded Space Studios and Artists Information Registry alongside Bridget Riley and Peter Sedgley.
A unique work by Liam Gillick inscribed “For Peter, A little England”. A unique work on paper made in 1990 a room next to the offices of Art Monthly London. According to the artist, the text was arranged on an Apple Macintosh SE30 and printed on Ingres paper probably using an early laser-writer printer. Titled, signed and dated Liam Gillick 1990 in pencil verso.
The following artist statement is taken from an email sent by Liam Gillick to Rob Maconachie of Room & Book on 14/04/2025:
“It’s a unique work that I produced for Peter as a gift. At the time I was working part time for the magazine [Art Monthly] and also using a room next to the office to make my own work and work on editions with Jack Wendler (the co-founder of Art Monthly).
I had introduced computers into the office - in this case an Apple Macintosh SE30 and I did a few works with it all on Ingres paper. Probably printed on an early laser-writer.
This is a one-off from a sort of series (I don’t make series of works but some play with similar ideas) I made at the time titled “Places and Medical Fraud”. Each one listed locations of significant progressive architecture - single buildings, public buildings etc etc. or locations of medical fraud without any further details. The whole point was to bring together two aspects of society without attempting to resolve them or link them. I continued later to do similar things including in a set of prints now in the collection of MoMA in NY.
At the time I was interested in the fact that over time I would forget the specific buildings referred to. And in this case it has worked. I can’t remember what I was referring to. It was a mind-game around questions of the trajectory of modernity in parallel to the development of modernism as a critical double.
The work refers to places that are significant in the development of “better” architecture and structures and therefore vulnerable to being erased and superseded.”
Title: A little England
Artist: Liam Gillick
Date: 1990
Format: laser-writer print on Ingres paper, 21.0 x 29.7 cm
Condition: Fine
Stock Number:RB04447 PT 78
Printed text reads:
Hemel Hempstead 1948
Stevenage 1932
Hitchin 1956
Gerrards Cross 1981
Amersham 1924
Chesham 1880
Click here to view further items from the Peter Townsend archive
From the personal archive of Peter Townsend (1919-2006), Editor, Writer and Sinologist. Renowned editor of Studio International (1965-1975); founder editor of Art Monthly UK (1976) and of Art Monthly Australia (1987), Townsend also founded Space Studios and Artists Information Registry alongside Bridget Riley and Peter Sedgley.
A unique work by Liam Gillick inscribed “For Peter, A little England”. A unique work on paper made in 1990 a room next to the offices of Art Monthly London. According to the artist, the text was arranged on an Apple Macintosh SE30 and printed on Ingres paper probably using an early laser-writer printer. Titled, signed and dated Liam Gillick 1990 in pencil verso.
The following artist statement is taken from an email sent by Liam Gillick to Rob Maconachie of Room & Book on 14/04/2025:
“It’s a unique work that I produced for Peter as a gift. At the time I was working part time for the magazine [Art Monthly] and also using a room next to the office to make my own work and work on editions with Jack Wendler (the co-founder of Art Monthly).
I had introduced computers into the office - in this case an Apple Macintosh SE30 and I did a few works with it all on Ingres paper. Probably printed on an early laser-writer.
This is a one-off from a sort of series (I don’t make series of works but some play with similar ideas) I made at the time titled “Places and Medical Fraud”. Each one listed locations of significant progressive architecture - single buildings, public buildings etc etc. or locations of medical fraud without any further details. The whole point was to bring together two aspects of society without attempting to resolve them or link them. I continued later to do similar things including in a set of prints now in the collection of MoMA in NY.
At the time I was interested in the fact that over time I would forget the specific buildings referred to. And in this case it has worked. I can’t remember what I was referring to. It was a mind-game around questions of the trajectory of modernity in parallel to the development of modernism as a critical double.
The work refers to places that are significant in the development of “better” architecture and structures and therefore vulnerable to being erased and superseded.”
Title: A little England
Artist: Liam Gillick
Date: 1990
Format: laser-writer print on Ingres paper, 21.0 x 29.7 cm
Condition: Fine
Stock Number:RB04447 PT 78
Printed text reads:
Hemel Hempstead 1948
Stevenage 1932
Hitchin 1956
Gerrards Cross 1981
Amersham 1924
Chesham 1880
Click here to view further items from the Peter Townsend archive