Book as idea
Conceptual artists looked for new ways to present their ideas and for some, the book was a satisfying solution.
Artists and the Book
What happens when an artist approaches the format or concept of the book, not simply to document or illustrate their work but as an art practice in its own right? Artists' books, in this sense, take many forms, from luxury letterpress volumes with original prints to duplicated pamphlets, 3D constructions and 'altered' existing books. The V&A holds a very large and varied collection of artists' books, all of which can be accessed in the National Art Library, here at the V&A South Kensington.
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The 20th century has been dubbed 'the century of artists' books', although their history starts earlier and takes new turns in the digital age. Aspects of this history include the employment of major artists as illustrators by art-world publishers, William Morris's 1890s revival of traditional printing, and the revolutions of conceptual art from around 1960. Access to new technologies of multiplying images and texts, from photography to high street printing to computers, has been highly important to the development of artists' books.
Collection highlights
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The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer Now Newly Imprinted, by William Morris & Sir Edward Burne-Jones, 1896, Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press. -
Parallèlement, by Paul Verlaine, illustrated from original lithographs by Pierre Bonnard, 1900, Paris: Ambroise Vollard, Imprimerie Nationale. Museum no. L.1005-1953. -
Mr. G. White of Messrs. Green & White, by Simon Cutts, 1984, London: Coracle Press. Museum no. 38041991107822. -
La Prose du Transsibérien et de la petite Jehanne de France, by Sonia Delaunay & Blaise Cendrars, 1913, Paris: Editions des Hommes Nouveaux. Museum no. 38041993109149. -
Sky never stops: poemkon, by Liliane Lijn, 1965, London: published by the artist. -
Le Chant des morts; Pierre Reverdy with lithographs by Pablo Picasso, 1948, Paris: Tériade. Museum no. L.4122-1948. -
Oeillades ciselées en branche, by Georges Hugnet, illustrated by Hans Bellmer, Paris: J. Bucher, 1939. Museum no. L.1780-1939. -
Facile, by Paul Éluard and Man Ray, Paris: Éditions G.L.M., 1935. Museum no. L.1342-1936. -
Terrestrial Globe, by Tom Phillips, London: published by the artist, 1992. -
Mémoires, by Guy Debord and Asger Jorn, New York: L'Internationale situationniste, printed by Permild & Rosengreen, 1959. Museum no. 38041992109488. -
The Left-Handed Punch, by Roy Fisher & designed and printed by Ronald King, Gilford: Circle Press, 1986. -
Desire: the collective unconscious, by Telfer Stokes, Atlanta, Ga.; Yarrow Scotland: Nexus Press in association with Weproductions, 1989.
Features
Artists' books and the environment
Three artists who have used the book to express their concerns about environmental issues
Handling a puppet book
See how a delicate puppet book is handled and photographed
Talking pages: a geometry pop-up book
See the three-dimensional shapes of a pop-up book brought to life
Background image: (Detail) La Prose du Transsibérien et de la petite Jehanne de France, by Sonia Delaunay & Blaise Cendrars, Paris: Editions des Hommes Nouveaux, 1913. Museum no. 38041993109149. © Pracusa 2013057