With so much writing being done online, books have taken on a precious new meaning.

That’s no different in the art book world, or more specifically, the luxury book market as defined by Benedikt Taschen, the German publisher who in 1999 famously published SUMO, a retrospective of the work of iconic photographer Helmut Newton.

It was the largest book produced in the 20th century and now sells on Ebay for $15,000.

An image by the late, great Helmut Newton, from SUMO. Image: livresphotos.com

“…books can themselves become their own pieces of highly sought-after art. “The making of the titles is a collaboration with the artists,” (Taschen) explains. “Their ideas are at the centre of the work and they are involved all the way through the process, making the books original, personal and desirable – like great art should be. Why shouldn’t an art book be something to be revered?”

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“With their artists competing on an international stage, Canadians can no longer complain of their country as a cultural backwater nor luxuriate in the nostalgic charm of provincialism. In art as in political, social and economic activities, Canada is fully involved in the world of today,”
– Dr. R. H. Hubbard, former Chief Curator of the National Gallery of Canada.

Guido Molinari, Untitled, 1964. Image: artnet.com

Walking down Bloor Street in Toronto last night, we stopped at a bookshop’s outdoor display and there, right in front of us, on sale for $1.99, was a copy of Canadian Art Today, originally published in 1970 by Studio International.

Edited by William Townsend, a professor at the University of London, the slim book is filled with contributions from Canada’s art elite at the time: R.H. Hubbard, then chief curator of the National Gallery of Canada, Doris Shadbolt, then curator of the Vancovuer Art Gallery, curators Dennis Reid, Pierre Theberge and David Thompson.

“Canadian artists were dependent for generations on the artistic traditions of France and England and it is only since the last war that contemporary American influences have made a decisive impact,” writes Townsend.

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Collector of art and art books (and friend of VoCA) Bill Clarke continues his tour of his bookshelves:

A Young Man of Extraordinary Personal Beauty by Gareth Jones/Oscar Wilde; 2007

4. A YOUNG MAN OF EXTRAORDINARY PERSONAL BEAUTY by Gareth Jones; 2007. Published by Four Corners Press, London.
This book is the first in a series of classic British novels being reprinted by Four Corners Press, which is inviting young artists to oversee the designs. British artist Gareth Jones was commissioned to design a text of Oscar Wilde’s The Portrait of Dorian Grey. Throughout the text, Jones places advertisements for Gitanes cigarettes from the 1970s that feature male models, transporting the story to more recent times visually. The entire publication, from its baby blue cover to the models’ heavy moustaches and earrings, is clever, kitschy and sexy.

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A few weeks ago, we recommended artist books as a more affordable (and under appreciated) alternative for art collectors. Imagine our surprise to discover that art collector and friend of VoCA Bill Clarke was also a collector of art books.

Here, he gives us a tour of his bookshelves:

Robert Indiana: Trilove (1969). All images: courtesy Bill Clarke

1. TRILOVE by Robert Indiana; 1969. Published by Edition Domberger, Stuttgart, in an edition of 210 signed and numbered copies.

American Pop artist Robert Indiana isn’t known as a book artist but, in the late ‘60s, he produced this small edition of two poems accompanied by a charming lithograph of his iconic LOVE image in a blue, green and white variation. The first poem, written in ‘55 , is fairly conventional, but the second, revisited by the artist for this publication, is a playful experiment in which he reconfigures the word ‘LOVE’ into different typographical arrangements. Indiana considered the print the third poem of the book, hence the title Trilove. Indiana’s limited edition prints, let alone his paintings, are beyond the reach of most of us, so this book was a relatively affordable way for me to obtain a piece of his work.

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After having seen the basement, first and second floors – see our post HERE – we returned last night to the AGO see the upper galleries.

We took the elevator up to the fifth floor, where the soaring ceilings made the rooms feel spacious. The only criticism we had, really was the inescapable feeling that the galleries were overcrowded.

A lot of large scale work demands large open space to make it feel proportionate, like Brian Jungen’s oversized totem poles, or the Mark Lewis (next year’s representative at the Venice Biennale) excellent video of Algonquin Park.

Mark Lewis, Algonquin Park, Early March, 2002. Image: marklewisstudio.com

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1. HARUN FAROCKI: one image doesn’t take the place of the previous one

1 November 2008 to 1 February 2009

Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston Ontario

Some of you may have seen Farocki’s excellent film installation at last year’s Documenta in Kassel, Germany. Or perhaps when it was shown as part of Re-Enactments at Montreal’s DHC/ART Foundation.

Harun Farocki Deep Play (2007) Image: canadianart.ca

This exhibition brings together six installations by renowned German filmmaker Harun Farocki, several of which are being presented in North America for the first time. Farocki’s filmic montages are presented in the gallery, where documentary visuals are subtly accompanied by spoken commentary.

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…Isn’t it? When art prices go stratospheric, many smart collectors turn to prints, ephemera, and…books.

New York Art Book Fair at Phillips, de Pury and Co.
October 24 – 26, 2008
New York City

The cover of the One Cent Life portfolio, screenprint by Roy Lichtenstein, 1963.
Image: artnet.com

Collector and friend of VoCA Bill Clarke has been doing this for years and is well on his way to completing an edition of One Cent Life, with poetry by Walasse Ting and co-edited with painter Sam Francis, 1964, edition of 2100 copies.

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It’s been almost a year, and we’re wondering where these out-of-the-box thinkers are now. Click HERE to see what they were up to last year.

Wedge Curatorial Projects, Toronto

BECOMING: Photographs from the Wedge Collection at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit
September 12 – 28 December, 2008

Wayne Salmon, Mr. MacKenzie. Image: mocadetroit.org

Wedge’s Kenneth Montague has been busy. Aside from having curated a neat show-within-a-show at Toronto’s Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art that opened yesterday (More on that excellent exhibition coming soon), he’s got a show of photographs showing in Detroit. Featuring approximately 67 works by 38 artists, the show focuses on the portrait, and the reclaiming of identity through the photographic image.

Click HERE for more information.

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Following the trend of commercial galleries collaborating with the auction houses (lest the auction houses overtake them – see VoCA posts HERE and HERE ), in Montreal, the Contemporary Art Galleries Association (AGAC) is going to be organizing an exhibition between its members and Ritchies Auction House.

Massimo Guerrera, Au coeur du sujet, 2003-2006. Mixed media on paper mounted on canvas.
Image: joyceyahoudagallery.com

Entitled A suivre…, the first exhibit is perfect for new collectors, as it will focus on the relatively affordable medium of works on paper. Handily, it will parallel the art fair PAPIER 08, which will take place in Montreal from October 23 to 26, 2008, and which is also organized by AGAC.

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