Artists’ Books in the Modern Era 1870‐2000: The Reva and David Logan Collection of Illustrated Books

Citation

James, S. (2002), "Artists’ Books in the Modern Era 1870‐2000: The Reva and David Logan Collection of Illustrated Books", Library Review, Vol. 51 No. 8, pp. 435-435. https://doi.org/10.1108/lr.2002.51.8.435.12

On a point of semantics from the title, I am not certain that the artist’s book as we know it existed to any significant or identifiable extent prior to about 1870: but I expect somebody out there will prove me wrong. The livre d’artiste or livre de peintre I think of as an essentially modern phenomenon, one which has produced its share of precious nonsense but also more than its fair share of items of beauty or fascination.

The fruits of more than 40 years of collecting, the Logan Collection (Reva and David Logan, their collection now deposited in the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco following close scrutiny of potential homes across the USA) is one of the world’s major collections of artists’ books. That comes out clearly in this wide‐ranging and comprehensive survey based on examples from the collection as used in a major exhibition. Introductory essays discuss the two collectors and the nature of the artist’s book, and are followed by chronological and thematic catalogue chapters: Evolution and Innovation 1870‐1920; The Momentum of Modernism 1920‐1930; Picasso as Book Illustrator 1930‐1972; Dada, Surrealism, War and the Aftermath 1930‐1955; Europe to America, A Shift in Power 1955‐1970; and Contemporary Tendencies 1970‐2000. Each of these chapters comprises reproductions of works in the collection with detailed catalogue descriptions (size, images, housing, edition, printer, references) and a brief outline of each item’s significance or of its important features. The book is completed by a list of the works selected for the exhibition arranged alphabetically by artists, selected references on artists and an index.

For those unable to see the collection or the exhibition, or just for reference and appreciation, the result is a stunning visual journey through a range of fascinating works. It goes without saying for a collaboration between Thames and Hudson and the publishing department of the fine arts museums of San Francisco that the large volume (28×23.5 cm) is finely proportioned, elegantly and consistently designed and beautifully printed (by Industrie Grafiche Editoriali Musumeci, Aosta, Italy). This is a fine volume recording an important collection, thus becoming in its own right an important work on the history of the book arts.