Artists Books at V & A

Artists' books is the broad term used to describe books, unique or multiple, that have been made or conceived by artists. There are fine artists who make books and book artists who produce work exclusively in that medium, as well as illustrators, typographers, writers, poets, book binders, printers and many others who work collaboratively or alone to produce artists' books. Many artists' books are self-published, or are produced by small presses or by artists' groups or collectives, usually in limited editions. There are many terms used to describe artists' books. Some of the most frequently used terms are book art or bookworks (these terms implying an affinity with the traditional structure of the book) while those that are sculptural objects that allude to the form of the book are commonly referred to as book objects. All of the terms that have been mentioned here are used in the Visual Database of Artists' Books. The database also includes other types of works produced by artists in the book format such as concrete poetry, a genre of visual poetry where the meaning is derived from the spatial, pictorial and typographic characteristics of the work, as well as from the sense of the words.
Origins & Development