The Century Of Artists' Books

by Johanna Drucker

Overview

Now Back in Print! Johanna Drucker's The Century of Artists' Books is the seminal full-length study of the development of artists' books as a twentieth-century art form. By situating artists' books within the context of mainstream developments in the visual arts, Drucker raises critical and theoretical issues as well as providing a historical overview of the medium. Within its pages, she explores more than two hundred individual books in relation to their structure, form, and conceptualization. This latest edition of the book features a new preface by Drucker and includes an introduction by New York Times senior art critic Holland Cotter.

Prior praise for Johanna Drucker's The Century of Artists' Books:

“[Drucker] locates the artists' book, in all of its multitudinous aspects, within every significant modern movement and draws on an extensive bibliography of scholarly references to reveal the philosophical and artistic connections among the several emerging avant-garde movements of the early twentieth century.... The book vastly expands our understanding of the interdependence of structure and meaning in artists' books.”—Buzz Spector, Art Journal

“A folded fan, a set of blocks, words embedded in lucite: artists' books are a singular form of imaginative expression. With the insight of the artist and the discernment of the art historian, Drucker details over 200 of these works, relating them to the variety of art movements of the last century and tracing their development in form and concept. This work, one of the first full-length studies available of artists' books, provides both a critical analysis of the structures themselves and a basis for further reflection on the philosophical and conceptual roles they play. From codex to document, from performance to self-image, the world of artists' books is made available to student and teacher, collector and connoisseur. A useful work for all art collections, both public and academic.” Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Library, Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781887123693
Publisher:	Granary Books, Incorporated
Publication date:	11/02/2004
Edition description:	2nd Revised ed.
Pages:	378
Product dimensions:	6.36(w) x 8.94(h) x 1.11(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Johanna Drucker is an author, book artist, visual theorist, and cultural critic. Her scholarly writing documents and critiques visual language: letterforms, typography, visual poetry and art. Drucker earned her B.F.A. from the California College of Arts and Crafts in 1973 and her Ph.D. from the University of California Berkeley in 1986. She is currently the Martin and Bernard Breslauer Professor at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA.She was previously the Robertson Professor of Media Studies at the University of Virginia, Professor of Art History at Purchase College, SUNY, Associate Professor of Art History at Yale University, and Assistant Professor of Art History at Columbia University and University of Texas, Dallas. She has also been the Digital Humanities Fellow at the Stanford Humanities Center, Digital Cultures Fellow at UC Santa Barbara, and Mellon Faculty Fellow in Fine Arts at Harvard University.