Homage to Agam

1978

© Estate of Ian Hamilton Finlay

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment

Artist: Ian Hamilton Finlay 1925–2006
Medium: Screenprint on paper
Dimensions: Image: 380 x 264 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Purchased 1982
Reference: P07647

Catalogue entry

P07647 (i) and (ii) Homage to Agam 1978

Two-sheet screenprint 15 × 10 3/8 (380 × 264), printed at Girdwood and published by the Wild Hawthorn Press in an edition of 150
Inscribed ‘Ian Hamilton Finlay’ and ‘66’ on flyleaf of cover
Purchased from the artist (Grant-in-Aid) 1982

This work, made in collaboration with David Button, consists of a sheet of cream paper printed with line drawings of three World War I warships and their names: ‘INVINCIBLE. INFLEXIBLE. INDEFATIGABLE’ with a tracing paper overlay sheet which adds red diagonal strokes - the poles which held the ships’ torpedo nets - along each hull. The words ‘TRANSFORMABLE LINE SEGMENTS’ are placed above the names and ‘HOMAGE TO AGAM’ below. The work is a visual pun on certain works by the Israeli artist Agam. It is enclosed in a grey cover.

This and the following entries [P07625-P07634 and P07645-P07647] have all been approved by the artist.

Published in:
The Tate Gallery 1982-84: Illustrated Catalogue of Acquisitions, London 1986