The Velvet Forum

https://www.bospress.net/malanga.html Bottle of Smoke Press

Gerard Malanga - The Velvet Underground Box




The Velvet Underground Box contains 7 silver gelatin photographs, each measuring 11” x 14” (27.9 x 35.6 cm). Each photograph is signed and numbered by the photographer on the reverse with a hand-written description of each print. Also included in the set is a hand-bound book, Angus MacLise CD, and 2 posters. The clamshell case is fully bound in black morocco leather with black cloth and velvet interiors. All materials are acid-free and archival. Limited to an edition of 8 copies of which 5 are for sale. $5,000.00


The Velvet Underground Box was designed by Bill Roberts and Gerard Malanga and was published by Bottle of Smoke Press in July 2020. Bound and printed by Bill Roberts unless otherwise noted.

Photos: All 7 silver gelatin photos were printed to archival standards from the artist's original negatives. Included in the prints is an enlarged contact sheet that contains all the shots from that day. The reverse of each photo is individually signed and numbered with a description of the print by Mr. Malanga.

Compact Disc: Cloud Asylum was originally recorded on reel-to-reel magnetic tape by Gerard Malanga, c. 1964 and ‘65. Digitally mastered by Lary 7.

Book: a spontaneous eruption of the id was digitally printed and Japanese stab-bound in black cloth and paper over boards. Endpapers objet trouvé design by Gerard Malanga. Each copy is signed and numbered by Mr. Malanga.

Exploding Plastic Inevitable Poster: Screen printed on 150 lb (320gsm) St. Armand paper, handmade in Monréal, Canada.

Angus MacLise Fold-Out: Inkjet printed on 80 lb text weight paper. Designed and printed by Markus Hartel at Raghaus.

Clamshell: The clamshells are hand-made and covered in French Split goatskin. The insides are black cotton bookcloth and lined in black velvet. The cover is blind debossed and UV Printed.
Title Page/Author’s Statement/Colophon: Printed letterpress on St Armand 150 lb (320gsm) paper from photopolymer plates. The colophon is signed and numbered by Gerard Malanga.

The VU Box is limited to an edition of 8 copies of which 5 copies are for sale (1-5), 2 are artist’s proofs (A/P 1 & A/P 2), and one copy is marked “hors commerce”.

Velvet Underground Poster. 14" x 22". Screen printed on 150 lb (320gsm) St. Armand paper, handmade in Monréal, Canada.

Gerard Malanga - a spontaneous eruption of the id. Book containing three chapters from Gerard Malanga's yet-unpublished memoirs Remembrance of Things Past. Japanese Stab-bound in cloth and paper over boards. Signed and numbered by the author. Endsheets designed by Gerard Malanga.

Angus MacLise - Cloud Asylum. Compact Disc containing 7 previously unreleased tracks.

Photo of the clamshell box which protects the contents. The clamshell is covered in black goatskin. The insides are lined with cloth and black velvet.

Artist’s Statement:

When I embarked on doing a photo session with the Velvets it was nothing that was planned in a formal sense.

I took these pictures with a camera that my dad had given me years earlier, so it seemed a perfect opportunity to use it on our trip to Los Angeles.

These pictures were meant solely to commemorate the occasion of all of us living at “the Castle,” as it was called, somewhere in the Hollywood Hills, down the road from the Griffith Observatory.

It was the first time I picked up a camera since 1955 when I photographed the last day of the 3rd Avenue El in operation with my Brownie Hawkeye. I had just turned 12. Being a photographer was the furthest thing from my mind. In photographing the Velvets I didn’t think what I was doing would be of any singular importance at the time. I just wanted to see what I could do, and have fun at doing it.

Gerard Malanga
April 2020

la219 wrote: ↑05 Feb 2025 02:51 https://www.bospress.net/malanga.html Bottle of Smoke Press

Gerard Malanga - The Velvet Underground Box




The Velvet Underground Box contains 7 silver gelatin photographs, each measuring 11” x 14” (27.9 x 35.6 cm). Each photograph is signed and numbered by the photographer on the reverse with a hand-written description of each print. Also included in the set is a hand-bound book, Angus MacLise CD, and 2 posters. The clamshell case is fully bound in black morocco leather with black cloth and velvet interiors. All materials are acid-free and archival. Limited to an edition of 8 copies of which 5 are for sale. $5,000.00


The Velvet Underground Box was designed by Bill Roberts and Gerard Malanga and was published by Bottle of Smoke Press in July 2020. Bound and printed by Bill Roberts unless otherwise noted.

Photos: All 7 silver gelatin photos were printed to archival standards from the artist's original negatives. Included in the prints is an enlarged contact sheet that contains all the shots from that day. The reverse of each photo is individually signed and numbered with a description of the print by Mr. Malanga.

Compact Disc: Cloud Asylum was originally recorded on reel-to-reel magnetic tape by Gerard Malanga, c. 1964 and ‘65. Digitally mastered by Lary 7.

Book: a spontaneous eruption of the id was digitally printed and Japanese stab-bound in black cloth and paper over boards. Endpapers objet trouvé design by Gerard Malanga. Each copy is signed and numbered by Mr. Malanga.

Exploding Plastic Inevitable Poster: Screen printed on 150 lb (320gsm) St. Armand paper, handmade in Monréal, Canada.

Angus MacLise Fold-Out: Inkjet printed on 80 lb text weight paper. Designed and printed by Markus Hartel at Raghaus.

Clamshell: The clamshells are hand-made and covered in French Split goatskin. The insides are black cotton bookcloth and lined in black velvet. The cover is blind debossed and UV Printed.
Title Page/Author’s Statement/Colophon: Printed letterpress on St Armand 150 lb (320gsm) paper from photopolymer plates. The colophon is signed and numbered by Gerard Malanga.

The VU Box is limited to an edition of 8 copies of which 5 copies are for sale (1-5), 2 are artist’s proofs (A/P 1 & A/P 2), and one copy is marked “hors commerce”.

Nice box. Outside my budget unfortunately.

Interesting that Malanga recorded the 1964/65 Angus MacLise gig on a reel-to-reel. I wonder what else he might have recorded.

I always thought that this Poor Richard's poster was a modern design that attempted to pass for a vintage poster. Am I missing something?

falconwhit wrote: ↑06 Feb 2025 22:43 I always thought that this Poor Richard's poster was a modern design that attempted to pass for a vintage poster. Am I missing something?

haha - yeah i thought that too, but when i saw this i absently thought i must have been mistaken. Seems like they sold a reproduction of a fake in this mega expensive product, presumably because it reproduces one of the Castle photos, taken some time in May or June.

Why is it fake? it doesn't have the address of the club, so it's based on the text of the orange on black cropped version included in the Aspen box. Plus it doesn't make sense to have a photo of the band, when Warhol was obviously the big draw, not this band that nobody had heard of.

Yes, my thoughts exactly. I thought that was super lazy on the part of whoever put this box together.
Also the inclusion of "Chicago" is silly.