ZERO-TEXTS (1971-72) by Endre Tót
Graz (Austria): Studentenhaus Leechgasse 24 der katholischen Hochschulgemeinde, publisher, 1974.
24 unnumbered pages, 290 x 206 mm, staple binding, black and white offset printing.
English.
600 copies.
Catalogue published for the exhibition"Endre Tót – Zero-texts", January/February 1974, in Graz (Austria).
(See the mention in the Impressum: "Katalog zur Ausstellung, Endre Tót – Zero-texts, Jänner/Februar 1974, Studentenhaus Leechgasse 24 der katholischen Hochschulgemeinde Graz.")
On the back cover of our copy, there is a handwritten dedication in blue ballpoint pen by Endre Tót to Jean Sellem (founder of Galerie St. Petri in Lund, Sweden), signed and dated September 8, 1975, reading:
"For Jean."
ZEROPOST
Es ist wunderschön gemacht! (It is beautifully made!)
Geneva: Edition Howeg & Ecart. Sheet of postage stamps.
Sheet dimensions: 298 x 213 mm
Edition of 1,000 copies + 50 signed and numbered copies.
In 1976, a second edition was printed in green, also in 1,000 copies, of which 50 were signed and numbered.
There is also a third version in light green (see ALMANACH ECART, page 141), printed in 50 signed and numbered copies.
Wunderschön! (Beautiful!)
● In a letter from John Armleder to Endre Tót, we read that the edition of "Giant Zero" was printed in 50 numbered copies (001–050), signed by Tót, and 450 numbered copies (051–500), unsigned. This information is not mentioned on the postcard.
● In the same correspondence, the layout of this Giant Zero is included, at the time still titled "Great Zero." A few days later, in a follow-up letter, Endre Tót asked John Armleder to change "Great" to "Giant."
* Excerpt from a letter sent on July 3, 1974, published in the booklet ENDRE TÓT. CORRESPONDENCE WITH JOHN ARMLEDER. ECART GENEVA.
CORRESPONDANCE AVEC JOHN ARMLEDER
Geneva: Ecart, John Armleder, publisher, August 1974.
82 unnumbered pages, semi-rigid cover, perfect binding with reinforced tape, 292 x 206 mm; facsimile-printed booklet, black and white offset printing, with some illustrations in color.
Printers:Patrick Lucchini and David Macintosh.
Edition of 500 numbered copies, including 50 copies numbered and signed by Tót and Armleder on the title page, featuring several original stamp imprints from both artists.*
Our copy is dedicated to the publisher Thomas Howeg.
Languages: English, French, German.
* See additional information.
This booklet contains the correspondence exchanged between Endre Tót and John Armleder during the preparation of Endre Tót’s exhibition at Ecart in June-July 1974. It serves as the exhibition catalog.
On the title page, the inscription reads:
"THIS BOOKLET WAS PRINTED IN 500 NUMBERED COPIES FROM 1 TO 500, OF WHICH THE FIRST 50 WERE SIGNED AND STAMPED BY ENDRE TÓT & JOHN ARMLEDER. THIS COPY IS No. 031."
On page 2, the inscription states:
"THIS BOOKLET WAS OFFSET PRINTED BY PATRICK LUCCHINI AND DAVID MACINTOSH AT THE ECART WORKSHOPS FOR THE EXHIBITION ENDRE TÓT IN JUNE AND JULY 1974 AT ECART, 6 PLANTAMOUR, GENEVA."
Regarding the stamps, they are mentioned in the last letter published at the end of the book, dated August 1974:
"I would like the first 50 copies to be signed by us both & stamped by us both as well."
(Excerpt from a letter by John Armleder sent on July 3, 1974, to Tót, reproduced in the bookletCORRESPONDENCE WITH JOHN ARMLEDER).
Page 3 of our copy, numbered 031/50, contains on the left side:
10 original stamp imprints by Endre Tót (9 in black ink, 1 in green ink).
His signature in blue ballpoint pen.
On the right side:
10 original stamp imprints by John Armleder (9 in blue ink, 1 in red ink).
His signature in blue ballpoint pen.
At the top of the page, there is a dedication dated 1976, addressed to Thomas Howeg, written in blue ballpoint pen:
"Für Thomas, Happy New Year 1976."
Stamps by Endre Tót in this edition:
READ IT STANDING AND ALOUD
DOCUMENTS MAKE ME CALM
WHY DO I STAMP?
I AM GLAD IF I CAN STAMP – Endre Tót – (portrait in the center)
IFYOUREADTHISIWILLLOVEYOU
hey! Look! 0’m here again
EVERGREEN STAMP BY ENDRE TÓT (green ink)
zer0kay
ZERO-STAMP by ENDRE TÓT (with a 0 in the center of the stamp)
TÓTalMAIL
Night Visit to the National Gallery
Devon (UK) & Mexico: Beau Geste Press, 1974.
20 unnumbered pages, semi-rigid cover, staple binding, 106 x 180 mm; color offset printing.
Printed in Devon on Nimrod Cartridge, autumn 1974, by Takako Saito.
Edition of 500 copies.
The booklet is a subversion of the National Gallery of London's brochure"A Brief Visit to the National Gallery" (see image below), published in 1971. Endre Tótfaithfully replicated the layout of the original brochure but replaced the artwork reproductions with solid color fields.
To achieve this result, Endre Tót likely used at least two copies of the original brochure in order to manipulate the title.
He also altered the placement of the spine, thereby changing the reading direction of the booklet. Originally, it was meant to be flipped from left to right, but after Tót's intervention, it is flipped from bottom to top, like a tear-off calendar.
A BRIEF VISIT TO THE NATIONAL GALLERY
In the beautiful book by Alice Motard dedicated to Beau Geste Press (Éditions Les Presses du Réel, 2020), a text by Polly Gregson, titled "Beau Geste Press: Printers and Printed Works", describes the summer of 1974:
"The summer passed without much activity at the Press. In the autumn, Takako printed Night Visit to the National Gallery, a book by the Hungarian conceptual artist Endre Tót.
Few people have had the chance to sneak into one of the world's most popular museums in the middle of the night. Endre Tót probably wasn’t one of them, but in this guide, he evokes the atmosphere of a night visit with credibility and humor, aided by the expertise of Takako Saito, whose prints perfectly capture the flickering light of the streetlamps and passing shadows."
TÓTal Questions by TÓT /1974/
Cologne: Edition Hundertmark, 1974.
16 unnumbered pages, semi-rigid cover, staple binding, 210 x 148 mm; black and white offset printing.
Edition of 300 signed copies.
A second edition (1981) of 600 copies also published by Hundertmark exists.
Our copy contains a handwritten dedication in blue ballpoint pen by the artist in English:
"GLADLY DEDICATED TO Jörn", signed Endre.
* We do not yet have information on his identity.
This book is the first volume in a series of five booklets published by Hundertmark between 1974 and 1980. It was followed by:
JIRI VALOCH (1976)
GEORGE MACIUNAS (1976)
BERNHARD JOHANNES BLUME (1978)
CLAUS BÖHMLER (1979)
The book is a facsimile edition of a selection of questionnaires that had been filled out and returned to Endre Tót. In 1974, from Budapest, he sent these forms to the following people:
Marina Abramović
Anonymous c/o Marilyn Monroe (most likely Endre Tót himself)
George Brecht
Jacques Charlier
Hervé Fischer
Ken Friedman
Dick Higgins
Pierre Restany
Takako Saito
Mieko Shiomi
Wolf Vostell
There was no response from Marcel Duchamp (who had passed away in 1968).
* Description found on page 181 of the catalog:
"10 Jahre EDITION HUNDERTMARK 1970 - 1980 BERLIN - KÖLN"
Exhibition at the DAAD-Galerie, Berlin, from March 12 to April 13, 1980.
Publisher: Berliner Künstlerprogramm des Deutschen Akademischen Austauschdienstes (DAAD).
Neither Endre Tót nor Thomas Howeg remembered this edition. It is mentioned in a publication titled HOWEG BY ECART, which served as the catalog for the exhibition "Gerz, Vostell, Armleder, Breloh" in Geneva. We found it on the Ecart Editions website.
It consists of a cardboard case measuring 190 x 133 x 7 mm, listing Howeg’s publications by date of release. It contains four booklets by the aforementioned artists, as well as a card that reiterates, on the front side, Howeg's publications. On the back side, it details the exhibition (Breloh, Gerz, and Vostell at Galerie Ecart from October 30, 1975, to November 21, 1975) and states that the case was printed in 500 copies, including 50 deluxe copies signed by the artists.
All copies were stamped in red on the front with the word "BELEG."
"COLOURED DAYS" is listed with a print run of 1,000 signed copies. However, Thomas Howeg told us that only a few prototypes were actually printed. He could not specify the exact number—perhaps 25 or 50 copies.
We own three copies, along with the original typescript of the text written by Endre Tót and the correspondence that partially documents its development (see additional information below the images).
22.3.74 COLOURED DAYS OF THOMAS HOWEG IN BUDAPEST BY Endre Tót
The first time Tót mentioned this edition was on an undated postcard, probably from March 1974.
On the front side, there is a black-and-white photograph of the Chain Bridge (Széchenyi lánchíd) and its surroundings, on which Tót drew a blue line across the bridge, which then deviates to the right.
COLOURED DAYS OF THOMAS HOWEG IN BUDAPEST
COLOURED DAYS BACK
COLOURED DAYS OF THOMAS HOWEG IN BUDAPEST BY Endre Tót
About the days:
So, as we discussed: on DIN A5 cardstock. Please reduce the included text* to A5 size.
Using a felt-tip marker is really a good idea: and besides the paths, please also color the squares:
🟦 BLUE DAY
🟥 RED DAY
🟩 GREEN DAY
/** I have changed the black day to blue **/
The other side of the card should be as we discussed, but the city map might need to be a darker gray, as too light a gray will not be visible due to the text.
/ See my I AM GLAD ... Booklet – that should have been a stronger gray as well, because it is barely visible / - 0.K.?
one dozen rain p0stCars 1971-73
Stuttgart (West Germany): Reflection Press, Nr.26, Albrecht, publisher, 1974.
12 postcards (105 x 148 mm) and a loose note on light blue thin paper (94 x 147 mm) in an envelope (114 x 162 mm); single-color (violet) offset printing.
The number of copies produced is unknown. According to Endre Tót (visit on September 25, 2023), the edition likely exceeded 100 copies.
The title is stamped in green ink on the back of the envelope.
The loose sheet provides information about the publisher, the edition title, and a numbered list of the postcards along with their respective titles:
your rain - my rain
old rain - new rain
left rain - right rain
normal rain - tót rain
inside-rain
corner-rain
isolated-rain
rival-rain
horizon-rain
zero-rain
sex-rain by Endre Tót
I am glad when I can type rains
There are copies where the color of the envelope varies, some featuring multiple stamp imprints by Tót, some signed, others unsigned.
In our copy, the postcards your rain - my rain, normal rain, and horizon rain are signed on the back by Endre Tót.
1/2 dozen incomplete visual informations : on A. Warhol's paintings, ladies' festival at the B.P.R.A., Arabian politicians, essential English, new B.A. president Mr. T. Hodges, anonymous lovers and others (1971-74)
Budapest: self-published, 1974.
12 pages, 210 x 155 mm; black and white offset printing.
We have selected two images from this book. They are very similar: each is framed by a black-bordered rectangle accompanied by a caption. The content of these two captions caught our attention; indeed, when placed alongside the empty frame, they appear enigmatic. The writing style used, as well as the thematic content, creates a meaning that remains elusive.
Here is the first image (fig.1), titled "ESSENTIAL ENGLISH", along with its caption, which we transcribe below:
This is a picture of a classroom. There is one teacher in the picture. That is the teacher. There are two boys in the picture. That is the door. Those are windows. There is one door and there are two windows. The door is closed. One window is open; the other window is closed. There is a clock on the wall. There is a table in the classroom. There are flowers on the table. There is an inkpot on the table. The teacher is near the table. One boy is near the teacher; the other boy is near the window. There are two pictures on the wall. One picture is near the door; the other picture is near the window.
The second image (fig.2) contains the following caption:
From left to right: anonymous lover, anonymous lover, Stephen Bann, Reg Gadney, Frank Popper, Phil Steadman and Citroen in Paris.
The first text is a descriptive passage composed of short, clear sentences, methodically structured through repetition of terms, reminiscent of the style of Samuel Beckett. The second text is a heterogeneous assemblage of words that do not form a complete sentence. It is structured like a rebus or a writing game based on free associations. It includes the phrase "anonymous lover" twice, followed by the names of three people, and then the brand name "Citroen". The overall effect is highly distinctive.
As we progressed in our research, we first discovered that Essential English is a textbook for learning English, with the full title: Essential English for Foreign Students. It was originally written by C. E. Eckersley in 1953. A revised and expanded edition was published in the 1960s. We found a copy online, and it contains one of the images (fig.1) that Endre Tót appropriated, removing the visual content from the frames.
When associated once again with its original visual reference, the meaning of the caption is reframed. In its altered state, the caption loses its rich associative power.
📌 Please click on the black dot in the Flipbook below to view it.
Regarding the second caption, we found the original image that Endre Tót erased in the publication:
British Art Studies, Issue 12, published 31 May 2019, page 74, Figure 56.
📌 Please click on the black dot in the Flipbook below to view it.