Artist's book

An artist's book (or artist book) is a work of art that uses the idea of a book as its main form. These special books are made by artists who see books not just for reading, but as a way to create art. Some artist's books are made in groups, called editions. Others are one-of-a-kind pieces, made uniquely by the artist.

There isn’t just one way to define an artist’s book, and many people argue about what should count as one. These books come in many different shapes and styles. They have a rich history shaped by many modern artist movements. Lately, artist’s books have become more popular, showing up in art museums and libraries, where people learn about them in special workshops. As more people discover them, the idea of what an artist’s book can be keeps growing.

Overview

Artists' books are special books made by artists. They can look like regular books, called Codex, or they might be very different, like scrolls, fold-outs, concertinas, or even loose items kept in a box. Artists have been making books for a long time, but the idea of the artist's book became popular in the late 20th century. Earlier art movements like Dada, Constructivism, Futurism, and Fluxus also made book-like art.

An artist's book is one where the artist has control over how it looks, and it is meant to be a piece of art all on its own. These books are usually easy to carry, move around, and share with others. Some artist's books are not like normal books at all—they can be more like sculptures. Artists might make these books to let people see their art outside of galleries or museums.

Artists can use many different materials and methods to make their books, such as found objects. Common ways to create artist's books include hand binding, letterpress printing, digital printing, photography, printmaking, calligraphy, painting, drawing, graphic design, paper engineering, and machine production.

Early history

Origins of the form: William Blake

Artists have made books in Europe for a long time, like the Book of Kells and the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. Many people think the English artist and poet William Blake (1757–1827) was the first to create special art books.

Blake made books such as Songs of Innocence and of Experience himself. He and his wife Catherine wrote, drew, printed, coloured, and bound these books by hand. Mixing words and pictures made these books very special and unique. These ideas are still important in art books today.

Avant-garde production 1909–1937

Before World War I, many artists in Europe made pamphlets, posters, manifestos, and books. They did this to get noticed and share new ideas without needing galleries. This let them create affordable art that more people could see.

The Italian Futurists, led by Filippo Marinetti, were part of this movement. In 1909, Marinetti published the "Futurist Manifesto" in the newspaper Le Figaro, which made him famous. He then traveled across Europe, encouraging others to create books and pamphlets.

In London, Marinetti’s visit inspired Wyndham Lewis to start the Vorticist movement. Their magazine BLAST and David Bomberg's book Russian Ballet (1919) are important early examples of modern artist books.

In Russia, artists like David and Nikolai Burliuk, Elena Guro, Vasili Kamenski, and Velimir Khlebnikov made many artist books. These books used unusual materials and designs, making each one unique. Some had handwritten text and pictures, while others used different papers and ways to bind them.

After the Russian Revolution, this style changed into Constructivism. Artists like El Lissitzky made books that influenced others across Europe. During this time, groups like Dada in Zurich and Berlin, the Bauhaus in Weimar, and De Stijl in the Netherlands also made many artist books.

Dada began in Switzerland during World War I. Artists there made books and magazines with funny and strange ideas. In Berlin, George Grosz made books with strong political messages.

Surrealism also created interesting artist books. For example, Max Ernst made a book by combining old pictures from Victorian books, and Marcel Duchamp designed a special cover for a book. One Russian writer, Alexei Remizov, also made artist books that mixed dreams and reality in creative ways.

After World War II; post-modernism and pop art

Regrouping the avant-garde

After World War II, many artists in Europe wanted to work together again. They used artist's books to try new ideas, share thoughts, and connect with others.

In the 1950s, artists in Europe became very interested in books. This happened because of new ideas and the need to rebuild after the war.

After the war, famous artists and poets started to explore how books could be art. Artists in Brazil, the Netherlands, Denmark, and France began to change how books were made. For example, a work by Isidore Isou asked viewers to put together pieces from an envelope to tell a story. Other artists, like Yves Klein in France, created books that made people think about identity and truth.

Dieter Roth and Ed Ruscha

Dieter Roth is often called the artist who defined the modern artist's book. In the 1950s and 1960s, he made books that broke traditional rules. He created books with holes, used old comic books, and even newspapers in his works. His books were made in very small numbers at first but later became more widely available.

Around the same time in the United States, Ed Ruscha printed his first book, Twentysix Gasoline Stations, in 1963. This book showed a simple trip along a road between Los Angeles and Oklahoma. Like Roth, Ruscha made many books during the 1960s.

A Swiss artist, Warja Honegger-Lavater, also created artist's books around the same time as Roth and Ruscha.

Fluxus and the Multiple

Fluxus began from classes taught by John Cage in the late 1950s. It was a group of artists from North America and Europe led by George Maciunas. They set up a gallery in New York but it closed quickly. However, the group continued to work together.

Artists' books and special editions were very important to Fluxus. They rejected traditional galleries and museums, preferring to share their art directly with people. Books sometimes looked like boxes or had unusual forms.

Conceptual art

The artist's book was very important for conceptual art. Many artists used books as a main part of their work. For example, an exhibition in New York in 1969 featured only a stack of books with text-based art.

Proliferation and reintegration into the mainstream

As artist's books became more popular, some of the original ideas changed. Some artists began making unique, handmade books, while others returned to making cheap, mass-produced books. Many artists taught and shared their work in workshops at various centers across the United States.

Art book fairs

There are many ways to buy and learn about artist books. Art book fairs are popular events that bring together artists and people who love these special books. These fairs help create a community around art published in book form.

Some bookstores, like Printed Matter in New York City, have large collections of artist books that artists can sell there. Art book fairs are also a great place to find and buy these unique books. They connect artists and fans from cities like Los Angeles, New York, Seoul, Tokyo, and many others around the world.

Critical reception

In the early 1970s, people began to see artist's books as a special kind of art. This brought more attention and talk about them. Places to study and teach about artist's books were created, like The Center for Book Arts in New York. Libraries and art museums started collecting and organizing these books. New collections were begun, such as Franklin Furnace in New York. Many shows of artist's books were held in Europe and America, with a big show at Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia in 1973.

Artist's books became popular with women artists in the 1970s. Groups like the Women's Studio Workshop in New York and the Women's Graphic Center at the Woman's Building in Los Angeles gave women spaces to create art with feminist ideas. Bookstores focused on artist's books opened, often started by artists themselves, such as Ecart in Geneva in 1968, Other Books and So in Amsterdam in 1975, Art Metropole in Toronto in 1974, and Printed Matter in New York in 1976. These stores also published artist's books and some are still open today.

In the 1980s, more artists made and sold artist's books, and more books about them were written. In 1983, Cathy Courtney began a column in the London-based Art Monthly, which went on for many years. The Library of Congress began using the term "artist's books" in 1980 and has a special collection of them. During the 1980s and 1990s, universities started programs to learn about book art, such as at Mills College in California and The University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

In recent years, artist's books have changed into new forms like CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs, building on ideas from music records. Since 2007, the Codex Foundation has held a Book Fair and Symposium every two years in the San Francisco Bay Area, bringing together collectors, artists, and anyone interested in this type of art.