Pieter Brattinga | Cijfer

Pieter Brattinga
Cijfer
Hilversum, the Netherlands: Steendrukkerij De Jong & Co., 1971
[185] pp., loose, 25.5 x 25.5 x 1.9 cm., boxed
Edition of 2500

Pieter Brattinga (1931-2004) was a Dutch graphic designer and artist who was the director of design at Steendrukkerij De Jong & Co in Hilversum, from 1951 until 1974. Steendrukkerij De Jong, a publisher and printing house, published artists' books by Bruno Munari, Dieter Roth, Karel Appel, Les Levine and many others.

Cijfer, or Cipher in English, depicts Brattinga's travels, in the form of 185 facsimile reprints of receipts of sales slips. It was produced on the occasion of the 1971 Sonsbeek exhibition Sonsbeek buiten de perken (which translates to Sonsbeek Beyond Its Bounds", or as: Sonsbeek Let Loose), an exhibition that commissioned site-specific works and sponsored publications, most famously Ed Ruscha's Dutch Details.

Cijfer was reportedly never offered for sale, but was instead given to clients and associates of the printer/publisher. Produced in an edition of 2500, the edition number was stamped on the front of the box, in the place of a printed title.