So, What is an Artist’s Book?
Artist’s book represents a conceptual book, which from the beginning to the end is created by an artist. A book has a clearly expressed idea governing all its space. Using various artistic means an artist creates an artist’s book. Artist’s book is an integral work of art, joining a word and image, principles of a traditional book and free art. Artist’s books represent ordinary paper-made books, books-objects, artist’s book installations & video artist’s books. Artist’s book is either one-copy book or a book of limited, it is numbered and signed by the artist.
Various ways of binding pages is nothing more than an instrument because nontraditional methods of binding artist’s books often perform much better than those widely used. Traditional graphical technics like lithography, screen printing, wood carving, intaglio printing do not determine belonging to this genre. Its terminology is sophisticated in the most of languages: Libro d’Artista in Italian, Livre d’Artiste in French, Künstlerbuch in German, Книга художника (kniga hudozhnika) in Russian, etc. One may think that these terms say the same thing but that‘s not true even if translated meanings seem to be the same. Most often these terms indicate a period or a style: Livre d‘Artiste – a late 19th and early 20th century, when artists’ books were produced for representatives of bourgeois in France, using most innovative technologies of publishing and involving perspective young artists. Purchasing a painting was too expensive for many citizens, buying a print was cheaper. Think about young perspective poet, talented young artist, quality paper, good publishing house and luxury press altogether producing a beautiful, unique, signed limited edition book, usually called ‘a portfolio’because its lists were held loose for optional framing and hanging on the wall. That’s ‘Livre d’Artiste’. A dusty volume on the shelf doesn’t look a great showpiece but an exposed framed piece of art makes more impression. Today ‘Livre d’Artiste’ means or is at least supposed to mean an artist’s book of classic style. They are still produced but even in France nobody calls them that way. A ‘Künstlerbuch’ is based on expressionist stylistics, presents texts, images, shrifts and is usually made in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Similarly to French practice in Germany artists select some works of famous authors to illustrate them. A ‘Künstlerbuch’perfectly printed on quality paper today is perceived as commercial publishing, a commercial artist’s book. The art market of Germany is the biggest in Europe, involving collecting artist’s books by museums, libraries and many private art collectors. The works of artists there meet the demand of illustrated volumes of some authors, especially some popular Russian and Jewish poets. Illustrating only volumes of ten top-popular authors brings warranty of commercial success. Artist’s books of that kind are perfectly printed on excellent paper by letterpress machines, illustrations made by woodcut, lithography or intaglio technics. Professionally bound in the best private publishing houses they look luxurious but are indeed too much ‘true’, unsurprising and what I’d like to emphasize is a little bit out of time. Moreover there is only tradition left but artist’s individuality missing.
more text and images on artist’s book
Prof. Kestutis Vasiliunas
Curator of the Artist’s Book Triennial Vilnius
Chief of the Circle “Bokartas”
© Artist’s Book Creators 2022
