On the eve of the 20th century, through the efforts of inventive individuals like Stern, Blake and Morris, the idea was beginning to take hold that books could have a value beyond the informative, literary or merely decorative. By finding potential in books as objects of deep aesthetic interest, they had planted the seeds from which modern artists’ books grew.

Modernists Push the Boundaries
The first inkling that the 20th century would hold great things for the book arts was revealed in turn-of-the-century France. Harking back to Blake’s work, French publishers began exploring ways to heighten the visual impact of books. While text generally enjoyed primacy in the book form, it was thought that art and text could be brought together as equals to create a new type of illustrated book. The idea was to produce high quality limited edition books illustrated with original prints created by well known artists. This contemporary style of illustrated book was referred to as the livre d’artiste.

Artists such as Picasso, Braque, Chagall, Matisse and Mallarmé agreed to participate in these projects. The publishers encouraged them to go beyond mere illustration into the more ethereal realm of interpreting the text. They also were given the freedom to experiment with page layout and the interplay of text and image on a page. The results were striking. The images they created were often abstract and non-literal. Images sometimes overlapped text. Image and text even spilled out onto the margins. The result was an entirely new form of book for a new, modern world.

Despite their obvious appeal, the commercial viability of these luxury editions dimmed amidst the turmoil and hardships of World War I. Their spirit Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125