Arcana:

(OPIE, CATHERINE). Opie, Catherine, Colette Dartnall & Elizabeth A.T. Smith. Foreword by Richard Koshalek. Los Angeles: The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, 1996. First Edition. 16mo. Playing Cards in a Plastic Box. Artist's Multiple. As New.. 54 individual 3 ½ x 2 ½" playing cards printed offset recto and verso, 54 b&w illustrations + 1 printed and folded sheet. Designed by Lorraine Wild. In 1996 Catherine Opie was selected as the first recipient of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art / Citibank Emerging Artist Award. In addition to presenting an exhibition and catalogue of the photographer's panoramic images of the city's freeway system, MoCA also published Opie's now legendary "Dyke Deck". Subverting the All-American post-war staple of decks of erotic playing cards featuring lingerie-clad and/or nude pinups created for the male gaze, this project uses the same utilitarian object to explore the issue of the lesbian body in photography. Instead of re-creating those typical gaudy color images, Opie resorted to playful black and white portraits of clothed friends and members of San Francisco's Lesbian community shot against a white backdrop. The four suits are represented by Couples for Hearts, Jocks for Clubs, Femmes for Diamonds, and Butches for Spades. A brand new, pristine example of the first - and only - edition still sealed in the original shrinkwrap of this charming, exceedingly uncommon - only two copies are currently cited in OCLC WorldCat - and influential artist's multiple consisting of fifty-two playing cards, two Jokers, and a folded printed instruction sheet housed in the publisher's transparent plastic case, as issued. Inventory Number: 026855