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.
Features
- Read
Artists' books and the environment
Three artists who have used the book to express their concerns about environmental issues
- Watch
Handling a puppet book
See how a delicate puppet book is handled and photographed
- Watch
Talking pages: a geometry pop-up book
See the three-dimensional shapes of a pop-up book brought to life
Collection highlights
The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer Now Newly Imprinted, by William Morris & Sir Edward Burne-Jones, 1896, Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press.V&A South KensingtonView by appointment
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.V&A South KensingtonView by appointment
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.V&A South KensingtonView by appointment
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.V&A South KensingtonView by appointment
Desire: the collective unconscious, by Telfer Stokes, Atlanta, Ga.; Yarrow Scotland: Nexus Press in association with Weproductions, 1989.V&A South KensingtonView by appointment
Header 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