Complete Run of AVANT GARDE Magazine

New York: Avant-Garde Media, 1971. All 14 issues of Avant Garde magazine, plus the first anniversary issue and the newstand variant of Number Eleven, for a total of 16. Square quarto: various paginations; illustrated throughout. Some general wear, but overall in very good condition.

Notable for graphic and logogram design by Herb Lubalin, Avant Garde is remembered for its radical politics and for embracing erotic content. While it could not be termed obscene, it was filled with creative imagery often caustically critical of American society and government, sexual themes, and (for the time) crude language. One cover featured a naked pregnant (truncated) woman; another had a parody of Willard's famous patriotic painting, "The Spirit of '76", with a woman and a black man.

The second issue, which features "The Marilyn Monroe Trip: A Portfolio of Serigraphic Prints by Bert Stern", is particularly sought after, as is Number Eight, "Picasso's Erotic Gravures", an issue completely devoted to the artist. There are two versions of Number Eleven: "Wedded Bliss: A Portfolio of Erotic Lithographs by John Lennon". The variant with the red cover and $1 price was produced for newsstands, while the black variant was mailed to subscribers. (Inventory #: 77370)