1998 Nat Tate: An American Artist 1928-1960

Description

First Edition, Publishers' Original Binding, With Dustwrapper

The first edition of this work, unopened and still in the protective plastic wrap.

'Nat Tate: An American Artist' was presented as a biography by the Scottish writer, William Boyd.

However, Nat Tate was an imaginary person, invented by Boyd and given the story of destroying 99% of his work before leaping to his death from the Staten Island ferry.

The book was published as a hoax, with John Richardson (Picasso's biographer) and David Bowie (a co-director of 21 publishing, which published the book) amongst others being participants in the hoax.

The aim of the hoax was to convince the New York social elites that the reputation of influential abstract expressionist needed to be re-evaluated. 

"Nat Tate" is a humorous combination of the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery.