Artist’s books and independent publishing
Collection of artist's books
An artist’s book is not an art book, nor a book about art.
Artist’s books may take many different forms. Not infrequently, the “book” functions merely as a conceptual reference that contemporary artists use as a means of artistic expression. These are books that invite other kinds of reading – visual, tactile, unexpected – in which content is inseparable from form.
The Art Library is developing a collection of artist’s books and independent publications. It includes works created from the 1960s onwards by Portuguese artists from different generations.
This collection comprises unique items and multiples, in a wide range of formats and sizes: book-objects, often unique works or produced in very limited editions; books published by small presses outside the commercial system, printed in offset, digitally or using movable type; as well as books produced entirely by hand or in which the artist was directly involved in the printing process, sometimes accompanied by original drawings or paintings, prints or screenprints.
To promote this collection, the Art Library invites artists to speak about how the creation of artist’s books fits within their artistic practice and how these works may contribute to or complement the understanding of their aesthetic approaches. These testimonies are presented here in short videos, each lasting around five minutes.
More information
- Collection Code:
- LA
- Conservation status:
- Good
- Processing status:
- Processed
- Digitisation status:
- Not digitised
- Accessibility:
- Accessible
Terms and Conditions
Copyright on the documents
The Foundation does not hold the economic copyright in the materials included in this collection. However, it is contractually authorised by the respective rightsholder(s) to permit the reuse of the originals or copies of these documents, provided that such reuse is for the purposes of study, research, and scientific, cultural and artistic dissemination.