Ray Johnson (Raymond Edward "Ray" Johnson). 1927-1995 "A Two Year-Old Girl Choked to Death Today on an Easter Egg" Duotone on chrome-coated photographic paper, overall: 27.3 cm x 16.8 cm. Edited by William Copley and Dmitri Petrov. 1968. Published by The Letter Edged in Black Press. About RAY JOHNSON: was an American artist known primarily as a collagist and correspondence artist, he was a pivotal figure in the history of Neo-Dada and early Pop art and was described as "New York's most famous unknown artist." Johnson's works can be considered a continuation of Dada and Merz, he knew the collage technique of Schwitters and the surrealist touch of Max Ernst, with verbal and visual games and a sense of humor of nihilistic wit. Around 1955, Johnson began incorporating portraits of popular celebrities and movie stars such as James Dean, Elvis Presley, Shirley Temple and Marilyn Monroe as well as comics and advertising text and images, such as the Lucky Strike logo, long before Warhol. About "SMS" portfolios: published by William Copley and Dimitri Petrov between February and December 1968. The 'SMS' portfolios (also inspired by the famous Boîte-en-valise, by Marcel Duchamp and, in general, by the irreverence of the DADA movement and in the multiples of the FLUXUS movement), represented a reaction against the elitism of the art world by sending, by regular subscription, pieces by artists that today we consider among the most relevant of the 20th century (Richard Hamilton, Roy Lichstenstein , Joseph Kosuth, Meret Oppenheim, Man Ray, John Cage, Bernar Venet, Mel Ramos, Walter de Maria, Christo Javacheff, Dieter Roth, Claes Oldenburg ..) ,. Shit Must Stop deliveries barely lasted 1 year due to the increased cost of publishing the works and their distribution. In the end, far fewer than the 2,000 planned copies were made, many stored and lost, without knowing exactly how many are available. Experts estimate between 800-1200 copies, depending on the multiple and the artist.