BEHIND THE PICTURE FRAME, Genesis Publications
Signed (?) item

     GENESIS PUBLICATIONS LIMITED is a British publishing company founded in 1974 by Brian Roylance, a former student of the London College of Printing. His aim was to create a company in the traditions of the private press, true to the arts of printing and book binding. Genesis Publications produces signed, limited edition books that are created in close collaboration with authors and artists.
     First known for specialising in historical volumes, Genesis Publications is now known as an art house publisher in the fields of modern music and culture.

    Genesis presents itself as "The world's leading book publishers of signed limited edition books".
    We will see that the word "signed" may raise questions.

   BEHIND THE PICTURE FRAME was a print run of 25 copies only collection of 10 photos from famous photographers, presented as signed by Bob Dylan, and therefore sold at top prices by subscription in November 2014. Really "signed by Bob Dylan"? Let's see....

This is the 10-page catalogue showing the photos and presenting them (red circle) as SIGNED BY DYLAN.

Thank you to John Baldwin for the scans and information. The images of the inside pages come from eBay.

  

  

   "Each archival print is signed as a mark of authenticity by the artist himself, Bob Dylan".
The photos, printed on "100% Cotton Hahnemuhle Photo Rag® 320gsm" are from 1962 to 1966 by photographers such as David Gahr, Don Hunstein, Jim Marshall, Sandy Speiser, Daniel Kramer and Barry Feinstein.

   "Bob Dylan has autographed a limited run of 250 prints of classic photographs taken between 1962 and 1966.

There are 25 sets of the BEHIND THE PICTURE FRAME collection of 10 prints available for sale, with each individual image costing $1800, or $1900 framed.

   The 10 prints are titled Folk City 1962, Greenwich Village 1963, Newport Folk Festival 1963, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan 1963, The Times They Are A Changin' 1963, Another Side Of Bob Dylan 1964, Princeton NJ 1964, Biograph 1965, Columbia Records New York 1965 and Royal Albert Hall 1966.
   Fans who purchase the complete set of 10 [total $18 000] will also be given [!] an archival case in which to store them." (www.loudersound.com).

Storage box

    The BEHIND THE PICTURE FRAME series is still advertised on the Genesis website where you can read that "Each archival print is signed as a mark of authenticity by the artist himself, Bob Dylan".

   "SIGNED BY DYLAN", really?
  If you examine the Dylan signatures at the bottom of these prints (sold $1800 each), you will see that they are all exactly the same!
  Two years after THE PHILOSOPHY OF MODERN SONG, was Autopen used again to make these signatures, instead of Bob Dylan's hand?

   Look at the 3 samples below, and check the whole set here; you will see that all the photos carry exactly the same signature, that is the one printed on the promo booklet above and on the storage box.

   Was that similitude just for the presentation on the website -but for what reason?- or were autopened signatures sold for authentic ones? The question seems relevant.

   Another page on the Genesis Publications site (now moved or deleted) featured the Dylan prints among other sets from various artists, all presented as signed by them or the photographers... but as for Bob Dylan, for each artist, the signatures were also all identical...