Anna Sigridur Arnar

Books On Books Collection – Megan N. Liberty

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Craft & Conceptual Art : Reshaping the Legacy of Artists’ Books (2023)

Craft and Conceptual Art: Reshaping the Legacy of Artists’ Books (2023)
Megan N. Liberty, ed.
Perfect bound, embossed and ink printed cover. H302 x W229 mm. 118 pages. Acquired from San Francisco Center for the Book (CODEX), 5 February 2024.
Photos: Books On Books Collection.

Megan Liberty’s traveling exhibition and catalogue serve two related purposes. The first is to present 40 archival items (interviews, invitations, announcements, letters, broadsides, photos, etc.) and over 3 dozen artworks from the last 30 years of the 20th century in a way that highlights the “collaboration and crossover” among several key institutions of the period: Philadelphia’s Moore College of Art; New York’s Center for Book Arts, Printed Matter and Franklin Furnace, Washington, DC’s The Writer’s Center, the Minnesota Center for Book Arts and the San Francisco Center for the Book. Their collaboration and crossover were often manifest in exhibitions, which are noted in Liberty’s introductory essay as well as David Senior’s contribution to the catalogue (“An Expanded Field of Book Art: Exhibitions and Catalogues from the 1970s”).

The second purpose is to make the argument that “craft and conceptual art mutually informed the evolution of artists’ books during the 1970s and 1980s”, which presents a more fluid view of the world of book art than is usually presented. The factions of the dematerialized and conceptual works, the democratic multiples, the limited editions and the unique finely or rawly crafted works were not so walled off from one another as implied in polemics, manifestos and critical essays so concerned with defining the “artist’s book”, the existence or placement of its apostrophe and securing its role in the larger history of art.

In touching on several exhibition catalogues, Liberty and Senior begin the work of mapping out an institutional history of artists’ books through exhibitions:

Naturally the exhibition reflects many of the key themes, tools and techniques with which book artists were concerned during the period: the relationship between artists’ books and performance; the photocopier as an alternative printing tool; mail art; found art, collage and assemblage; feminism and the book as body; the AIDS epidemic; the passage of time and personal memory; racism in the art world; and mythology, religion and the mysticism of the book. Through these reflections, through attention to some of the period’s forgotten and less celebrated book artists, and through tracing the cross-fertilizations occurring across key institutions and their networks of individual artists and curators, Liberty revives Johanna Drucker’s definition of the artist’s book as a “zone of activity” where different disciplines, fields, and ideas intersect.

Alongside the exhibitions and catalogues it cites and those others it does not (see below), Craft and Conceptual Art stimulates a wishful longing for a blockbuster, truly international exhibition of book art and its history. Anna Sigrídur Arnar’s essay in On Curating (No. 33, June 2017) offers a model for contributions to it. Writing on the eve of dOCUMENTA 14 (2017), which was distinguished by the re-installation of Marta Minujín’s monumental 1983 The Parthenon of Banned Books (El Partenón de libros prohibitos), Arnar unearths documenta 5 (1972), documenta 6 (1977) and dOCUMENTA 13 (2012) as significant markers in the recognition and history of book art. As she notes, “it is actually documenta 5 where we first see a surprising number of artists producing and implementing books as a part of their practice”. If illustrated as well as Liberty’s and Arnar’s are, such an undertaking would rival the documenta 5 catalogue in size. Liberty’s exhibition and catalogue will find a place among its important predecessors and may be the spark for that larger more global institutional history of artists’ books through exhibitions.

Further Reading

“An Online Annotation of The Cutting Edge of Reading: Artists’ Books“. 7 September 2017. Bookmarking Book Art. Curators Renée Riese Hubert and Judd D. Hubert.

“An Online Annotation of Germano Celant’s Book as Artwork 1960/1972“. 9 October 2017. Bookmarking Book Art.

“Publishing as an Artistic Toolbox, Vienna, 28 January 2018“. 31 January 2018. Bookmarking Book Art.

“An Online Annotation of The Book Made Art (1986)“. 8 May 2020. Bookmarking Book Art. Curators Jeffrey Abt and Buzz Spector.

“Klaus Groh and Hermann Havekost“. 2 July 2021. Books On Books Collection. Curators of Artists’ Books / Künstlerbücher Buchobjekte / Livres d’Artistes / Libri Oggetti (1986).

Alden, Todd. 1991. The Library of Babel. Buffalo N.Y: Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center.

Arnar, Anna Sigrídur. June 2017. “Books at documenta: Medium, Art Object, Cultural Symbol“. On Curating. 33. Accessed 17 February 2024.

Austin, Mary. 2012. Exploding the Codex : The Theater of the Book . San Francisco: San Francisco Center for the Book.

Barton, Carol and Diane Shaw. 1995. Science and the Artist’s Book. Smithsonian.

Bloch, Susi. 1973. The Book Stripped Bare : A Survey of Books by 20th Century Artists and Writers ; September 17 – October 21 1973. Hempstead, New York: Emily Lowe Gallery.

Drucker, Johanna. 2012. The Century of Artists’ Books. Rev. ed. New York City: Granary Books.

Henry, David J. 1986. Beyond Words: The Art of the Book. Rochester, N.Y. : Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester

Hoptman, Laura J.; Robert Smithson and Dexter Sinister (Firm)2012. Ecstatic Alphabets. Berlin Germany New York N.Y: Sternberg Press ; Dexter Sinister.

Moeglin-Delcroix, Anne. 2011. Esthétique Du Livre D’artiste : 1960-1980 : Une Introduction À L’art Contemporain.Rev. ed. Paris: Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Phillpot, Clive. 1982. Artist’s Books : From the Traditional to the Avantgarde. New Brunswick NJ: Rutgers University Art Gallery.

Porter, Venetia. 2023. Artists Making Books : Poetry to Politics. London: British Museum Press.

Reed, Marcia, and Glenn Phillips. 2018. Artists and Their Books : Books and Their Artists. Los Angeles: Getty Research Institute.

Soltek, Stefan. 2013. Unbound. London and Offenbach-sur-le-Main: Arc Editions and Klingspor-Museum.

Vasiliunas, Kestutis. 1997. 1st International Artist‘s Book Triennial Vilnius 1997. Vilnius: Gallery “Kaire Desine”.

Vasiliunas, Kestutis. 2024. “10th International Artist’s Book Triennial Vilnius 2024“. Plunge, Lithuania: Plungė Municipal Clock Tower Library.

Bookmarking Book Art – Books on Book Art | 4 August 2013

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See also Resources (in progress) page.

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Abt, Jeffrey. The Book Made Art: A Selection of Contemporary artists’ Books Exhibited in Joseph Regenstein Library – University of Chicago, February Through April 1986,  Exhibition catalog.

Antaya, Christine and Sloman, Paul. Book Art: Iconic Sculptures and Installations Made from Books.  Gestalten (May 26, 2011). Documents current art, installation, and design created with and from books. “The fascinating range of examples in Book Art is eloquent proof that–despite or because of digital media’s inroads as sources of text information–the book’s legacy as an object and a carrier of ideas and communication is being expanded today in the creative realm.” Book jacket. See interview with Antaya and some of the artists here.

The Book as Instrument: Stephane Mallarmé, the Artist’s Book, and the Transformation of Print Culture – Anna Sigridur Arnar. An academic study of the literary and cultural seedbed of book art. “This is a highly ambitious, original account of Stéphane Mallarmé’s lifelong engagement with the book and the vast network of forces (cultural, aesthetic, political) that both informed this engagement and were transformed by it. Anna Sigrídur Arnar seamlessly brings together divergent areas of inquiry in order to support the idea that the book was and remains a site of numerous debates about democracy, public and private space, the uses of art and print, and the role of authors and readers. The Book as Instrument is elegantly written, in engaging and highly readable prose. Arnar succeeds in presenting and analyzing with remarkable lucidity ideas that many of us have learned to approach as difficult and thus nearly off-limits. This will be an important work of scholarship for a variety of disciplines.” (Willa Z. Silverman, Pennsylvania State University).

Art Is Books: Kunstenaarsboeken/Livres D’Artistes/Artist’s Books/Künstlerbücher – Guy Bleus. Catalog of a travelling exhibition in 1991. See also Artists’ Books on Tour edited by Kristina Pokorny-Nagel.

No Longer Innocent: Book Art In America 1960-1980 – Betty Bright. A history of an important period in book art. Like Drucker (below), Bright categorizes book art, places it within the movements of the period and profiles its individual and institutional supporters. Artbook review.

Artists’ Books: The Book As a Work of Art, 1963-1995– Stephen Bury. Explores the impact artists had on the format of the book.

A Century of Artists Books — Riva Castleman. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1994. NAL pressmark: AB.94.0020. A catalog of an exhibition held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The selection tends toward the livre d’artiste but does address the impact of the digital shift on artists’ books.

Chapon, François. Le Peintre et le Livre: l’Age d’Or du Livre Illustré en France 1870–1970. Paris: Flammarion, 1987. NAL pressmark: 507.C.172

Courtney, Cathy. Speaking of Book Art: Interviews with British and American Book Artists. Los Altos Hills: Anderson-Lovelace, 1999. NAL pressmark: AB.99.0001

New Directions in Altered Books – Gabe Cyr. A book of projects and techniques by a book artist.

The Century of Artists Books – Johanna Drucker. “A folded fan, a set of blocks, words embedded in lucite: artists’ books are a singular form of imaginative expression. With the insight of the artist and the discernment of the art historian, Drucker details over 200 of these works, relating them to the variety of art movements of the last century and tracing their development in form and concept. This work, one of the first full-length studies available of artists’ books, provides both a critical analysis of the structures themselves and a basis for further reflection on the philosophical and conceptual roles they play. From codex to document, from performance to self-image, the world of artists’ books is made available to student and teacher, collector and connoisseur. A useful work for all art collections, both public and academic.”Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Library, Library Journal.

#5168 Altered Book – Special Effects (Design Originals) – Laurie Goodson. One of a series of booklets on book-alteration techniques. Other authors include Beth Cote and Cindy Pestka.

Altered Books, Collaborative Journals, and Other Adventures in Bookmaking – Holly Harrison. A showcase of book art with an emphasis on multi-artist collaborations.

The Cutting Edge Of Reading: Artists’ Books – Judd Hubert and Renee Hubert. Published in 1999, a close examination of 40 examples of book art. Illustrated.

Books Unbound – Michael Jacobs. A book of projects by a book artist.

Johnson, Robert Flynn. Artists Books in the Modern Era 1870–2000: the Reva and David Logan Collection of Illustrated Books. London: Thames & Hudson, 2002. NAL pressmark: AB.2001.0002

Artists’ Books: A Critical Survey Of The Literature – Stefan Klima. A 1998 monograph summarizing the debates over the artists’ book. 

Book + Art: Handcrafting Artists’ Books – Dorothy Simpson Krause. A book of projects by a book artist; covers mixed-media techniques as well as bookbinding.

The Penland Book of Handmade Books – Jane LaFerla (Editor); Alice Gunter (Editor); Lark Books Staff. Tutorials, inspiration and reflective essays by book artists.

500 Handmade Books – Steve Miller. A highly illustrated, wide-ranging coffee table book.

Artists’ Books on Tour – Kathrin Pokorny-Nagel. Catalog of a travelling exhibition organized and sponsored by MAK (Austrian Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna), MGLC (Llubljana’s International Centre of Graphic Arts) and UPM (Museum of Decorative Arts) in 2011.

1,000 Artists’ Books: Exploring the Book as Art – Peter and Donna Thomas, Sandra Salamony. External and internal views of works, descriptions at the end of the book.

Joseph Cornell’s Manual of Marvels: How Joseph Cornell reinvented a French agricultural manual to create an American masterpiece – Dickran Tashjian and Analisa Leppanen-Guerra (editors). A part-facsimile, part-DVD, part-boxed-presentation that gives some idea of the artwork by Joseph Cornell held in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The artwork is Cornell’s alteration of the Journal d’Agriculture Practique (Volume 21, 1911), a handbook of advice for farmers.

Playing with Books: The Art of Upcycling, Deconstructing, and Reimagining the Book – Jason Thompson. Techniques-driven; covers bookbinding, woodworking, paper crafting, origami, and textile and decorative arts techniques.

Masters: Book Arts: Major Works by Leading Artists – Eileen Wallace. Illustrated selection of work from 43 master book artists with brief comments from the artists about their work, careers, and philosophies.

The Book As Art – Krystyna Wasserman; Audrey Niffenegger (Text by); Johanna Drucker (Text by). An illustrated volume covering over 100 artists books held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.

Book Art: Creative Ideas to Transform Your Books, Decorations, Stationary, Display Scenes and More – Claire Youngs. A crafts book of 35 projects.