Artists’ books on display at Central Library

This month, Central Library have some of their beautiful artists’ books on display. They are also holding four bookbinding workshops with the artist and printmaker, Susie Wilson.

The exhibition is showing in the Mezzanine glass cabinets beside the Music Library – one floor down from street level – and it showcases some of the many gems that we have in our Art and Design Library collections.

Central Library began collecting artists’ books in the 1990s, and we now hold over 200 items from around the world. Our earliest books date from the 1960s, and include notable works in the history of the artists’ book – works by Ed Ruscha, Sol LeWitt, Hamish Fulton and Ian Hamilton Finlay, for example. More recently, the focus for acquisitions has been on books by artists working in Scotland, or with a connection to Scotland.

Artists’ books are pieces of art in book form, and they are as varied as artists are varied. They differ from a sketchbook in that they are made to be seen; they are an artist approaching the book as their artwork and art practice. They may be a means of expressing different forms and textures – like a sculpture, how might the book change when it moves; how might you handle it; how might the light fall on it; what materials is it made from? Or perhaps the artist is exploring text and image relationships, narrative or sequence.

Artists have always been involved in book production, but the artists’ book is generally associated with the second half of the 20th century, and with the artist very much determining the book’s final outcome. Often editions are small, or the books are one-offs. And often they are made to be viewed outside of a gallery space, and all that that might entail.

An artist’s involvement in bookmaking, in making decorative letters or in painting borders, is hundreds of years old. And as technology has changed, so too has an artist’s relationship to book production.

We can see roots of the artists’ book as we know it, in artists such as William Blake (1757  – 1827) and his Songs of Innocence and Experience, or in William Morris (1834  – 1896) and his founding of the Kelmscott Press in 1890. William Blake wrote, designed, printed, coloured, and bound his own books, with the help of his wife, Catherine.

And William Morris saw the spread of print production around him as distancing the role of the artist too much. Instead, he wished to see the artist’s hand in every part of a book’s making, in its typography, page design, illustration, and even its text.

In the late 19th, early 20th century, the livre d’artiste or livre de peintre was born. A luxury artists’ book, the livre d’artiste, originated in France as a limited edition, handmade book, with original graphics. It was often a lavish project for a well-known artist.   

Books or assemblages that arose out of avant-garde movements in the early 20th century  – Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, Dada and Surrealism, and later Fluxus  – can also be seen as forerunners to today’s artists’ books. These books, which were often made to bypass the gallery space, were an exploration of all the many and varied things that a book might be.

Recent acquisitions to the library’s collections include works by David Faithfull, Rosemary Everett, Susie Leiper, Anupa Gardner, DeeOoshee, and Isobel Lewis. We also have books by numerable prominent British and North American artists: the Abstract Expressionist painter, Helen Frankenthaler; the conceptual artists, Susan Hiller and Joseph Kosuth; Natalie D’Arbeloff and Tacita Dean (amongst many more).

Lastly, we’re delighted to announce that we’ll be running a series of bookbinding workshops with the wonderful artist and printmaker, Susie Wilson (@susiewilson_). In celebration of the City of Edinburgh’s 900th anniversary, the workshops take the city as a starting point and inspiration. They will take place in the George Washington Browne Room in Central Library from 10.30am to 1pm on Saturdays in January and February. Tickets can be booked through Ticket Source or phone 0131 242 8040.

Saturday 11 January: Precipitous City: A journey through Edinburgh – a concertina or accordion book

Saturday 18 January: The Map: A Sense of Place  – folding

Saturday 25 January: Miniature Theatres: The Tunnel or ‘Peep show’ book

Saturday 1 February: Forecast: A Change in the Weather – folded pocket

Please do explore our library catalogue where all items are listed. We also have a folder of listings up in the Art and Design Library where books are available for pre-arranged viewings (group visits are preferred).

We’re hoping to hold some open viewings of the collections too, so do keep an eye on Ticket Source and posters in the library for dates.

Please come and enjoy!