An overview of artists’ books: “Artists’ books” is the term currently used to describe art works in book form. They should not be confused with books whose subject matter is art or artists. They are works of art in themselves. In the last half-century there has been unprecedented interest in, and exploration of, the book arts by artists. Art schools, including the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, now regularly offer courses in artists’ book production.

The collection of artists’ books by museums and libraries has increased significantly in the past 30 years. The Franklin Furnace collection (now owned by the Museum of Modern Art) and the Otis College of Art and Design had sizable collections by 1980. There are now major collections in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Yale University Library Arts of the Book Collection, Getty Research Library, and the New York Public Library.

Because artists’ books vary in material and form, the exact definition of an artists’ book remains uncertain. They are generally seen as works, in limited edition or one-of-a-kind, by artists using the book form. Artists and art historians do not completely agree on what constitutes a legitimate work within this general definition (Klima, 1998).

The variety of artists’ books is continually expanding. Artists have recognized no set boundaries; it has been a wide open, mixed media, and multi-media field (Smith, 1992). Many works are difficult to classify. They can be created from any material and take almost any form. Even within a conventional codex the content, size, shape, and variety of materials may be wholly unique.

Many of the conceptual artists who revolutionized artists’ book production in the late 1950s and 1960s were hyper-conscious of mass production and consumption and intended their works to be consumed; used, read until worn out, and perhaps even discarded. Low publishing costs allowed artists like Dieter Roth and Ed Ruscha to make large runs of their books, reaching a wide audience (Klima, 1998).

Interest in artist’s book production has increased in the decades since, with many artists reviving and perfecting bindery and fine bookmaking techniques. Mastery of the book arts craft became a defining characteristic of many artists’ studios in the 1960s and 1970s. Artists are increasingly aware of the breadth of tradition they are working in (Drucker, 2005). Many artists see the Book of Kells, Chinese and Japanese scrolls, medieval illuminated manuscripts, the poems and drawings of William Blake, the early 20th century sequential art works of Lynd Ward, Max Ernst, and El Lissitzky, and livres d’artistes as the ancestors of the artists’ book. Others define artists’ books as a mid- to late-20th century phenomena (Drucker, 1995; Drucker, 2005).

There are more than 500 artists’ books in the combined collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the William Morris Hunt Memorial Library, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. During the 2007–2008 academic year, the W. Van Alan Clark, Jr. Library at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts will feature rotating exhibitions of artists’ books from this combined collection. Upcoming exhibitions will focus on specific genres and artists, including SMFA students and faculty. 
–Darin Murphy

Drucker, J. (1995). The century of artists’ books. New York: Granary Books.
Drucker, J. (2005). Critical issues/ Exemplary works. Bonefinder, 1 (2), 3-16.
Klima, S. (1998). Artists’ books: A critical survey of the literature. New York: Granary Books.
Smith, K. (1992). Structure of the visual book. New York: Sigma Foundation.  

To learn more about Artists' Books, visit Text and Image Arts.