2022-11-10 Guide to the Jenny Holzer Inflammatory Essays Posters, 1979-circa 1986 SPEC.RARE.MMS.0358 Finding aid prepared by Lindsay Resnick Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210
2022 November This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2022-11-10T10:00-0500 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Jenny Holzer Inflammatory Essays Posters SPEC.RARE.MMS.0358 Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections RARE Shared 4 1-2 0.2 Cubic feet 1979-circa 1986 Artist Jenny Holzer was born in 1950 in Gallipolis, Ohio. Holzer mainly creates large-scale installation works in public spaces, often focusing on text. The Jenny Holzer Inflammatory Essays Posters, 1979-circa 1986, contains a selection of twelve posters from artist Jenny Holzer's Inflammatory Essays series. (2) oversize folders English Holzer, Jenny, 1950- Acquisitions Information

Accession No. RARE.2022.0066: Purchase, 2022 October

 Preferred Citation

[identification of item], Jenny Holzer Inflammatory Essays Posters, SPEC.RARE.MMS.0358, Rare Books & Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University

 Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only.

 Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

 Processing Information

Processed by: Lindsay Resnick, 2022 November; Finding aid written by: Lindsay Resnick, 2022 November

 Biographical Note

Artist Jenny Holzer was born in 1950 in Gallipolis, Ohio. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ohio University in 1972 and a Master of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1977. Holzer mainly creates large-scale installation works in public spaces, often focusing on text. Throughout the course of her career, she has created works that stimulate debate and conversation, and has won numerous awards including the Golden Lion from the Venice Biennale in 1990. As of 2022, her home and studio are located in Hoosick Falls, New York.

 Scope and Contents

The Jenny Holzer Inflammatory Essays Posters, dated 1979-circa 1986, contains a selection of twelve posters from artist Jenny Holzer's Inflammatory Essays series. These posters were originally posted anonymously around New York City in 1979, with Holzer adding more to the series over the years. Each of the Inflammatory Essays contains exactly 100 words arranged in 20 lines printed on colored paper. They present challenging statements inspired by the writings of provocative, controversial people such as Adolf Hitler, Mao Tse Tung, Emma Goldman, and Leon Trotsky. All of the essays are untitled.

These posters were created between 1979 and 1982, and Holzer packaged them in a plastic zipper storage bag for distribution. However, the bag present in this collection was manufactured later (circa 1986), so these particular posters were likely repackaged at some time.

 Holzer, Jenny, 1950- Bill-posting--New York (State)--New York--20th century Installation artists--New York (State)--New York--20th century Installations (visual works) Posters Women artists--New York (State)--New York--20th century