The term artist’s book, or altered book, refers to a specific medium of artistic expression which utilizes different aspects of books as inspiration. This often overlooked medium is not only interesting for the eye but has been impactful in various societies and movements throughout history into the present day.
Simply put, an artist’s book is a work of art in book form, albeit many times the final pieces do not resemble traditional books. It is important to distinguish that an artist’s book is not an art book or a catalog showcasing a person’s artwork, but instead are pieces of work in their own right.
Best described by the National Museum of Women in the Arts, objects in this medium can be either handmade or mass produced and vary in their content, form and materials. Many artists encourage viewers to rethink the nature of the book and reading in unexpected ways.
Widely known as the essential precursor to the contemporary artist’s book would be the Livre d’artiste, essentially a form of an illustrated book originating in France at the start of the 20th century. This form of book was distinguished due to its pages being made directly by the artist instead of a technician copying an original design.
In the 1910s, Russian Futurists, who adopted principles of rejecting the past and celebrating speed and urbanism, created artists’ books most similar to the ones we may see today. The Futurists used readily available and cheap materials to create the books with a new approach to the combination of text and images and a disdain for the establishment. These were the first instances of the medium being used for a political purpose.
It was in the 1950s and 1960s that artists like Dieter Roth and Ed Ruscha began to create conceptual works considered to be the modern foundation of the artist’s book genre. Their pieces disrupted the idea of books by creating works with holes in them so viewers can see more than one page or using found pieces of texts like newspapers or comics to create an entirely new piece.
In the early 1970s, artists’ books started to be recognized as its own distinct genre, with institutions such as The Center for Book Arts in New York teaching and collecting the relatively new form of art. Additionally, artists’ books became a popular medium for artists during the feminist movement alongside the rise of sculpture popularity.
By the end of the 1970s artists’ books mostly evolved into what they are today, with some maintaining the traditional form of the book, and others being more materially experimental. Most pieces now fall into one of two categories, either being socially and politically driven or more focused on serving self-expression.
Nonetheless, the history behind artists’ books is not only an interesting evolution of a medium but also an impactful one on a variety of movements. Finding artists’ books in person or at museums may prove to be difficult due to the interactiveness of the medium. However, there are numerous online sources to digitally digest meaningful artists’ books, many of them are free including the Smithsonian Institute collection and the National Museum of Women in the Arts collection. These sources also contain information and history on artists’ books.
For those interested in learning more about artists’ books or interested in physically flipping through one, Printed Matter is an organization containing information on the medium and catalog of pieces for purchase.
