Art And Book

The Art Book is a completely visual survey of the history of art.

"The spread of printing in the 16th century severed the relationship between artist and book, but modern developments in technology - such as lithography and desk-top publishing - have enabled this relationship to be restored. This book, which explores the history of artists' involvement with the book format in the 20th century, provides the historical, philosophical and artistic background for practitioners and art historians." "The book considers the pre-history of the artist's book, beginning with the work of Mallarme and Apollinaire, Cubist, Futurist, Dada and Fluxus books; the upsurge of manifesto, serial and conceptual works of the 1960s and 1970s and the growth of a self-conscious artists' books tradition in the 1980s and 1990s. The development of the artists' books are placed in the context of technological changes and movements in the history of modern art." "Comprehensive reference material is provided by a bibliographic listing of over 500 key artists' books, an exhibition chronology, invaluable practical advice for the collector and librarian and an extensive index."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

“There they rest, inert, impertinent, in gallery space—those book forms either imitated or mutilated, replicas of reading matter or its vestiges. Strange, after its long and robust career, for the book to take early retirement in a museum, not as rare manuscript but as functionless sculpture. Readymade or constructed, such book shapes are canceled as text when deposited as gallery objects, shut off from their normal reading when not, in some yet more drastic way, dismembered or reassembled.” So begins Bookwork, which follows our passion for books to its logical extreme in artists who employ found or simulated books as a sculptural medium. Investigating the conceptual labor behind this proliferating international art practice, Garrett Stewart looks at hundreds of book-like objects, alone or as part of gallery installations, in this original account of works that force attention upon a book’s material identity and cultural resonance. Less an inquiry into the artist’s book than an exploration of the book form’s contemporary objecthood, Stewart’s interdisciplinary approach traces the lineage of these aggressive artifacts from the 1919 Unhappy Readymade of Marcel Duchamp down to the current crisis of paper-based media in the digital era. Bookwork surveys and illustrates a stunning variety of appropriated and fabricated books alike, ranging from hacksawed discards to the giant lead folios of Anselm Kiefer. The unreadable books Stewart engages with in this timely study are found, again and again, to generate graphic metaphors for the textual experience they preclude, becoming in this sense legible after all.

The original edition of this ambitious reference was published in hardcover in 1998, in two oversize volumes (10x13"). This edition combines the two volumes into one; it's paperbound ("flexi-cover"--the paper has a plastic coating), smaller (8x10", and affordable for art book buyers with shallower pockets--none of whom should pass it by. The scope is encyclopedic: half the work (originally the first volume) is devoted to painting; the other half to sculpture, new media, and photography. Chapters are arranged thematically, and each page displays several examples (in color) of work under discussion. The final section, a lexicon of artists, includes a small bandw photo of each artist, as well as biographical information and details of work, writings, and exhibitions. Ruhrberg and the three other authors are veteran art historians, curators, and writers, as is editor Walther. c. Book News Inc.

"In addition to providing a much-needed resource for artists, teachers, and collectors, this book will form a bridge between book artists and their audience by providing ready access to information about a much discussed but little known art form."--Book jacket flap.

Investigating the complex history of visual art?s engagement with literature, this collection demonstrates that the art of the book is a fully interdisciplinary and distinctly modern form. The essays in the collection develop new critical approaches to the analysis of twentieth-century bookworks and explore ways in which European writers and painters challenged the boundary between visual and linguistic expression in the content, production, and physical form of books. The Art Book Tradition in Twentieth-Century Europe offers a detailed examination of word-image relations in forms ranging from the livre d?artiste to personal diaries and almanacs. It analyzes innovative attempts to challenge familiar hierarchies between texts and images, to fuse different expressive media, and to reconceptualize traditional notions of ekphrasis. Giving consideration to the material qualities of books, the works discussed in this collection also test and celebrate the act of reading, while locating it in the context of other sensory experiences. Essays examine works by Dufy, Matisse, Beckett, Kandinsky, Braque, and Ponge, among other European artists and writers active during the twentieth century.

Living Artists of Today: Contemporary Art is a resource for art professionals – gallery owners, art collectors, art publishers, museums and other art institutions around the world. This, the second edition of the book series takes the viewer through a visual journey of discovery and enjoyment of artwork by artists who live and work both next door to us and around the world, they share similar life experiences and moments in history, technological breakthroughs, economic hardships, tragedy and happiness of today’s fast paced world. Expressing oneself creatively and making an impact on the world while at the same time trying to make a living can be challenging and throughout history, artists have been known to face and overcome obstacles that this profession can bring.This book is a tribute to those artists who never give up their dreams, passions, ability to feel, live, love and experience joy. They create an extraordinary collection of art, capturing our life and displaying it through their prism of artistic vision to share with the rest of the world.Living Artists of Today is a great example of the recognition of the artist. We are immensely proud and honored to publish these works and help bring these artists to the forefront and share with the world the work of these talented artists. Each artist published in this book has an Online Gallery on the Art & Beyond Publications website with a biography and direct contact information to the artists at www.artandbyondpublications.com.Read. View. Enjoy.