Cage, John. (1912–1992) & Beuys, Joseph. (1921–1986) [Paik, Nam June. (1932–2006)] Untitled, 1983 (From Good Morning Mr. Orwell portfolio)

Cage, John. (1912–1992) & Beuys, Joseph. (1921–1986) [Paik, Nam June. (1932–2006)]

Untitled, 1983 (From Good Morning Mr. Orwell portfolio)

Offset lithograph from the numbered edition of 250, signed by both artists in pencil on recto, numbered 97. Sheet: 30 x 22 inches; Framed: 38.5 x 31 inches. Schellman 500.

In his cautionary novel 1984, George Orwell wasn't kind to television, which he saw basically as ''Big Brother,'' a tool of the totalitarian state. In 1984 the Korean-born video artist and impresario, Nam June Paik presented ''Good Morning, Mr. Orwell,'' a live satellite-relayed program on public- television stations, a pitch for television as an instrument for international understanding, rather than an ominous means of thought control. His work was ''the first global interactive use of the satellite among international artists,'' and used works designed specifically for the technology of the satellite itself to create interactive performances, linking different stages in different parts of the world, so to speak. ''Good Morning, Mr. Orwell'' was essentially a global variety show, originating in the United States, France and Germany, but its lineup of performing talent was more familiar to Mr. Paik's ''avant-garde'' followers than to fans of network television. Among those who appeared, live or on tape, were the rock singers Laurie Anderson and Peter Gabriel belting out the title song (composed and recorded by them especially for the broadcast); on a split screen, the choreographer Merce Cunningham and the composer John Cage in New York improvising to Salvador Dali reciting a poem (on tape), beamed from Germany; the artist Joseph Beuys playing the piano, live from the Pompidou Center in Paris; the poets Allen Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky singing one of their own compositions; a group of 80 French saxophone players and vocalists known as Urban Sax, and the irrepressible Charlotte Moorman, a cellist famed for playing Paik compositions dressed in almost nothing. To raise the $170,000 needed for the American part of the show, in 1983 Paik, Cage, Cunningham, Ginsberg and Beuys each made and sold limited edition prints to galleries around the world. The present piece is one such artwork from this historic collaborative effort. (16261)

Art/Sculpture Classical Music Art & Design