Beyond Words
ARTISTS’ BOOKS
By Ellen Firsching Brown
Photography by Tasha Tolliver
Some of the most significant accomplishments of the modernist movement occurred in the world of book production, where innovative writers, poets, graphic designers and artists challenged expectations of what books should look like and the purposes they could serve. The end result was an entirely new creative medium in which books are produced as original works of art. Called artists’ books, these volumes are designed to offer readers an artistic experience as visually and conceptually meaningful as a painting or sculpture.
What exactly are artists’ books? It depends on whom you ask. Critical analysis on book art is still a burgeoning field and there is no universally accepted definition of which types of books fit within the term. As a general matter, a book created or conceived of as a work of art is considered to be an artists’ book. It is not necessary that a book be hand made by an artist, although that is often the case. An artist can design and oversee the production of work performed by others and still qualify. The key criteria are that the work be artist-driven (as opposed to publisher-driven) and that the creator’s intention was to express some artistic vision in the book as opposed to a literary or informational one. Artists’ books are not just any book by an artist or any book about art. Artists’ books are art.
Although inspiration for artists’ books can be traced back hundreds of years, they are emblematic of the 20th century. The history of their development is yet another success story of the modernist vision.
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